The Vampire Diaries
by heyheartbreaker
Summary: My own take on The Vampire Diaries written by LJ Smith.
1. Chapter 1: 1964

It was 1864, and a small town in Virginia was calm and collected. It was another day in Mystic Falls, and there was nothing unusual expected to happen. The citizens went along with their daily schedules, and the tight-knit town was under good control under the sheriff's watch. All was well as the sun shone above them, highlighting their paths. There was one path that trees always kept shaded, and it was covered with dead, colorless leaves. Walking along that path, were the two-of-a-kind Salvatore brothers. Damon and Stefan. The brothers were undoubtedly handsome, they could have any girl they wanted. However, girls were not their priority at this time. Damon was almost ready to finish college, and Stefan was a year away from graduating high school. The brothers were well-known around town, since their father was quite illustrious for his financial status, as well as his social status. Mystic Falls was simply home to Damon and Stefan, and growing up there had been easy. The brothers had a great bond, that appeared to be unbreakable. The two strolled along the path, the leaves crunching beneath their shoes.

"Damon, Father has been questioning me about my future," Stefan said lowly.

"Ah, you too?" Damon's blue eyes narrowed, "Have you come up with an answer for him?"

"Not quite, have you?" Stefan returned the question. Damon replied with a shake of his head, then paused.

"Well, I have been contemplating the chances of me going to school in Europe, but I do not know if Father would approve of such," Damon hesitated, finding the right word, then looked at Stefan as his eyes widened, "an adventure."

Stefan chuckled, as he nodded slowly. "I'm sure he would like to get rid of you for so long," he joked.

Damon rolled his eyes, and nudged his younger brother with his elbow. "Now, come on, we will be late for supper. Maybe I'll use this time to announce my proposition to Father."

The brothers continued down the path, walking towards their estate. Their house had to be one of the largest in town, and it was definitely the most classic. Stefan and Damon's father was all about class. They approached their house to find their father standing on the front steps, as if he were waiting for them. And evidently, he was.

"My sons!" their father, Giuseppe exclaimed as he hurried down the steps to greet his boys. "Welcome, welcome home, I have great news for you both," he said, throwing his arms around his two sons.

Damon's eyebrows raised, "Is that so? And I have great news for you as well, Father." Damon looked over at Stefan, with a grin.

Giuseppe slowly broke the embrace, and looked at Damon. "Oh, that is wonderful, but please do let me share my news before-"

"Giuseppe!" an unfamiliar voice sounded from inside the house. Stefan and Damon looked up instantaneously, as a woman in a pale green dress emerged from the front door of the Salvatore estate. At the sound of his name, Giuseppe turned away from his boys and threw his arms out towards the woman.

"Ah, Katherine, you're too early! I was just about to tell the boys-" Giuseppe fell silent, as Katherine approached him, staring him in the eyes.

"It's all right, Giuseppe, you don't have to tell the boys anything. I will take it from here. Just go inside, and tell Emily to make us all some supper," the woman named Katherine spoke in a monotonous voice. Stefan and Damon watched the exchange, and both their brows furrowed. Giuseppe finally showed some sort of movement, and his arms fell to his sides. "I think I'm going to go inside and tell Emily to make us all some supper," he said, almost inaudible for Stefan and Damon to hear. Giuseppe walked back into the house, and that was all. Damon whistled, "Well that was odd."

Stefan chuckled, looking down uncomfortably at his shoes. Then his gaze returned towards the young woman who was now facing them, with practically perfect posture. Stefan glanced at his brother, who was staring at the girl as well.

"Hello boys," she said, with a mischievous grin. Damon returned her grin with a sly smirk. Stefan watched, bringing his hands together. "I am Katherine, it's a pleasure to meet you both," she said, her voice practically like a tune to a song. Stefan studied the young woman, who appeared to be an age right between Damon and Stefan's. Her skin was the palest tan he had ever seen, if that were to be possible. Her eyes were dark, nearly black, and her mouth seemed to be permanently curved into a mysterious smile. Her hair was in curls, that flowed to the middle of her back. It was the darkest shade of brown Stefan had ever seen.

Breaking the silence, Katherine had extended her hand out towards the boys. Before Stefan could even move an inch, Damon had grabbed Katherine's dainty hand and brought it to his lips. Stefan felt his jaw clench, and he looked away. Katherine smiled. "You must be Damon, the one who does as he pleases," Katherine whispered to Damon. Damon winked, as Katherine slowly slipped her hand away from his grip.

"You and I will get along very well," she said to him, but Damon noticed she was looking at Stefan. Damon glared at his brother, who was excluding himself from the conversation. Katherine smiled, as if satisfied.

Stefan finally returned to the conversation, and he looked at Katherine. "Why are you here?" he asked quietly. Damon instinctively punched his brother in the arm. Stefan cringed, and brought his hand to his arm. "What was that for, Damon?" Stefan groaned.

Damon blinked, "You don't just ask people why they are here. You simply embrace it."

Katherine placed her hand on Damon's broad shoulder, "You do not hurt your brother," she scolded, her eyes locked on his. Damon stared into her eyes, and responded with an emotionless nod. "Apologize," Katherine said, with the same voice she had used earlier with Giuseppe. When Katherine let go of Damon's shoulder, he turned to Stefan and apologized. Stefan smiled weakly, but his eyebrows crinkled in curiosity.

Stefan looked at his brother, and forgave him. "I suppose I needed the lesson," Stefan said, shrugging it off. Damon and Stefan both turned back to where Katherine was standing, but realized that she was no longer there.

"Where did she go?" the brothers asked each other simultaneously. Their eyebrows raised, and they both laughed, before entering their estate. Their father was seated in his chair, staring blankly at a wall. Damon walked ahead of Stefan, and stood in front of Giuseppe. "Father, I have to tell you something."

"What is it Damon?" Giuseppe said. It looked as if he was still staring at the wall, right through Damon. Stefan stood with his hands folded behind his back, watching his brother and his father argue about Damon's chances of finishing school in Europe.

The last thing Giuseppe said was, "It's much too risky, Damon, you are not mature enough to travel such a distance on your own." Stefan watched as Damon angrily stormed into his room. Stefan took one step forward, but was whisked away by a sudden force. Stefan felt some sort of fear grow inside him. He heard himself yell, as he watched blurred, moving images pass right before his eyes. And then he was in the guest room, staring at Katherine. She was laughing, more like cackling. Stefan's jaw clenched, as he caught his breath. "What was that?" he exclaimed. Katherine simply continued laughing. "Miss Katherine, I-" and suddenly Katherine's lips were on his. Stefan didn't quite know what was happening, he didn't know quite understand why it was happening, nor did he know if he wanted to pull away or to kiss back. But he did know that Katherine's kiss had sent some sort of electricity through his body, and hesitantly, he began to return the kiss. This wasn't like him, to be kissing a stranger. That is what she was to him, a complete stranger. But such a beautiful, mysterious stranger that he found to be completely intoxicating. Then the warm tenderness of her lips vanished from his lips, but it lingered in his memory. "Oh, Miss Katherine," he whispered, opening his eyes. Her astonishing beauty surprised him once again.

"Oh Stefan, sweet, sweet Stefan, do call me Katherine," she giggled, as she caressed his blushing cheek. Stefan smiled nervously. He could not believe how nervous he was.

"Katherine, may I ask, what was that for?" Stefan questioned, in pure curiosity.

"No you may not ask," Katherine answered, walking towards the full-length mirror. Stefan realized that she was beginning to undress. Stefan gulped, then cleared his throat, and made more assorted noises before finally turning around. He could hear Katherine giggle. He liked the sound of her giggle. Stefan ran his fingers through his dark, but light, wavy hair as he waited.

"Then may I ask again, now that my brother is not among us, why are you here?" Stefan felt bad for interrogating her so much, but he had so many questions for this woman that he met not even an hour ago. Already he had envied when his brother made the slightest physical contact with her, he had been consumed by her irresistible beauty, left in wonder by the mystery that seemed to follow her every move, and they had shared a kiss that sent Stefan off the edge.

"No," Katherine said, "you may not ask." Stefan accepted that answer as well. He figured that he was being too bothersome.

"Are you finished?" he asked. Another question. He frowned to himself.

"Yes," Katherine stated. Stefan turned around and gasped. Katherine was in a silk, red nightgown, that no other girl would ever dare touch. It was revealing, definitely revealing. The neckline was in the shape of a V, and the sleeves only covered half of her shoulder. Her figure was small, but she had curves in all the right places, which caused Stefan to lick his lips, realizing that he could still taste the kiss. The dress didn't seem like it was made anywhere in town at all, not even this era. Katherine was so daring, so different. He found himself admiring her even more.

"My, Katherine, you look.."

"Exquisite," a voice said. But it didn't come out of Stefan's mouth, nor Katherine's. Of course, Stefan knew who it was.

"Damon, nice of you to join us," Katherine smiled, practically prancing over to Stefan's older brother who was leaning against the doorway. Stefan turned once again as Katherine passed him, and he heard himself snarl. He covered it with a cough, and he looked over at Damon, who Katherine was now embracing. Stefan's fingers rolled into fists, but he quickly exhaled and made every attempt to relax. _It's only a hug_, Stefan thought, as he looked down at his shoes. Katherine had given him a kiss, and it certainly was not just any friendly kiss. That meant that she was interested in him, mainly him. This made Stefan smile proudly to himself, and he lifted his chin to return his gaze towards Damon and Katherine. He did not like what he saw.

It was as much as a surprise to Damon as it was to Stefan. Just a few moments ago, he was angrily shaking his fists and throwing pillows around his room until he fabricated an idea. Perhaps, just perhaps, his father would let Damon finish college in Europe, if Stefan joined him. Damon then searched the house, avoiding his unruly father, to find Stefan. He wasn't in his room, so where could he be? Damon decided to go upstairs to ask Katherine if she had seen him anywhere, and found her dressed in the most beautiful nightgown he had ever laid his clear blue eyes on. It was an elegant red, not too bright, not too dark. It blended well with her pale, yet tan skin. He was so engulfed by the vision of this strikingly beautiful young woman, he had barely noticed Stefan in the room. Damon, of course, before saying anything else, commented on Katherine's attire, with a charming smile. He made a notion to talk to Stefan, and opened his mouth once again to call him over, but he had not realized that Katherine had come to him. She grabbed his attention, as if by hand, and Damon couldn't look away from her dark eyes. He scarcely caught a glance of the grin of mischief plastered on her lips. Their faces did not hold much distance between each other, and seconds later, they kissed. And kissed. And kissed. And _kissed._ When their lips finally parted from each other, Damon opened his eyes to see a look of sadness in Katherine's eyes. He couldn't fathom why, and realized the only reason the kiss was broken was because he was being hauled away by his brother. "Stefan! What are you doing!" Damon yelled, trying to break free from Stefan's grip. Damon could not remember when Stefan had gotten so strong, or perhaps Damon was still weak from the intensity of the kiss with Katherine. Oh, how sweet her lips tasted, but yet there was a tang of..Damon couldn't quite put the taste into words. He wished he could kiss her again, so he could figure out just what that strange yet enticing taste was. He had never been kissed like that before, which such passion and desire. It was like their souls were joining together, and then they were ever so rudely ripped apart in the process. Stefan sounded as if he were growling. Where was this boy's respect? "Unhand me, brother, what has gotten into you?" Damon asked, as he finally pulled his arm away from Stefan's firm grasp. They were now in Stefan's bedroom, which was below the guest room, but nevertheless, they were out of Katherine's range of hearing. Stefan was glaring at Damon, but not daring to look him in the eye. Stefan just stood, and glared. Damon was obviously uncomfortable, and was not sure how to react to Stefan's strange behavior. Quite frankly, his mind was still racing about his kiss with Katherine. "Well?" Damon began, but Stefan held up his finger and began shaking his head. "What is it, Stefan?"

"Damn you, Damon, damn you," mumbled Stefan. Damon had never heard his younger brother speak to him that way before. He had never heard Stefan speak like that to anyone before. Damon was startled, and baffled by Stefan's perversity. He said nothing, only waiting for Stefan to continue. Perhaps a reasonable explanation would come out of what Stefan had to say next. "Miss Katherine is not yours to kiss, Damon, she made her mark by kissing me. Didn't you see how sad she was after you kissed her? How dare you!"

Damon didn't know just how to react to this. Katherine had kissed Stefan? How, why, when did that occur? Damon was shocked to receive this news, more over..angry. Stefan just had to be lying. Why would he make up such a thing and make such a scene? "Stefan, are you mad? There is no reason to be lying about this, I'm sure Katherine would not appreciate you spoiling her good reputation! Why would she kiss you anyway? So young, so naive. There is nothing you have that she would be interested in," Damon said, pushing Stefan's raised arm back down. He could see Stefan growing even angrier. What was wrong with this boy?

"Damon, I am not lying! She kissed me, Damon, she kissed me before you came to the room. It is the truth. The kiss she and I shared was magnificent, and I want her. Please do not interfere with this." Stefan's blue-green eyes had begun to become a deep, forest green, which usually implied that he was serious about a situation. Damon stared blankly at his brother, merely shaking his dark head.

"Let me tell you something too, little brother," Damon started, "It does not matter who she kissed first, and frankly I do not give a damn about how your kiss was. What matters to me is the kiss she shared with me. I will spare you the details, for I do not want your envy on my shoulders. But I will tell you one thing, _she_ kissed _me_." And with those words, Damon left Stefan's room, and continued down the hallway until he reached his own room. He then sat on the edge of his bed, and rested his head on the palm of his hand, as his elbow rested on his knee. He slumped over, and his hand automatically shifted to run its fingers through his chocolate brown hair. How stressed he was! He wanted nothing but to feel Katherine's delicate lips on his once again. But had those incredible lips, honestly touched those of his own younger brother's? Damon shook the thought out of his mind, and reminded himself of the heat of Katherine's kiss with himself. He could tell that he was the one she wanted, and he was sure he could please her much more than his juvenile brother. Perhaps she was disappointed by the kiss with Stefan. Damon smirked. He was determined that he would be the one Katherine would choose, and he figured that he was the one Katherine had already chosen. It wasn't that hard of a decision, anyway, now was it?

Stefan paced his room like a mad man, which he probably was slowly transitioning to. That's the effect this kiss with Katherine had given him. Ever since then, he was more cautious than ever, and just now he had his first argument with Damon. Over this young woman that they had met just almost two hours together. If this is what happens after only two hours, imagine two days? Two weeks? Months? What was she doing here anyway? His father never got the chance to explain that to them, and Katherine wouldn't let Stefan ask her about it. Stefan jumped at the slightest sound, hoping that no one would walk in on his little episode. He was also hoping that Damon would not return to attack him. Stefan was under such stress that he could not even begin to understand. Not ever, not once, did a girl have such an impact on Stefan. He could remember the taste of her lips ever so clearly, and he could relive the kiss ever so vividly, a thousand times. It replayed and replayed in his mind, and he knew it should make him smile, but it made him all the more confused. Had Katherine really kissed Damon in her own will? Why would she do that after she had just kissed him? Stefan's fingers found their way to his hair that was such a dark blonde, it was undecided if it should be called light brown instead. Stefan did not remember even raising his arms to do so, and he looked down and saw that his arms were still by his sides. He stared in wonder, and was strangely fearful of what was now in his hair. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around to see that the fingers belonged to dear Katherine. When did she get in his room? How? Stefan stopped mentally asking questions, and like Damon told him earlier, he embraced it. He took Katherine's figure, and pulled her into a warm embrace. The moment their bodies pressed against each other, Stefan felt another jolt of electricity pass through his veins. Katherine's fingers were tangled in his wavy hair, but it was soothing. Stefan pressed his smiling lips against Katherine's shoulder. Stefan was happy. Katherine was here, in his room, which meant she was not in Damon's, which must have meant she had chosen him. Stefan figured that she probably regretted, if she really did, kissing Damon. Stefan knew that she would choose him, he just knew it.

"Daaaaaaa-mon!" Katherine shouted from her window, waving both her arms. Damon looked up at the sound of his name. He was standing in huge landmass behind the estate. Of course, this was his father's land, that he would inherit in time. Well, half of it he would have to share with Stefan. Keeping that in the back of his mind, Damon grinned, waving back, adoring Katherine's cuteness. She blew him a kiss, and seconds later, she was standing in front of him. Damon jumped a little, but he was still just starting to get used to this.

"Hello, handsome," she whispered, almost seductively. Damon heard himself giggle like a little boy who was just kissed on the cheek by his first grade crush. How embarrassing, he thought.

"Hello beautiful," he whispered back, as he ran his fingers through her dark-as-night hair. They smiled at each other, like fools in love, which inevitably they were. Damon was the one she chose, and she reminded him again and again about that. He wished she wouldn't remind him so often, because he already knew. But somewhere inside him, he pitied Stefan. Where was Stefan? Oh, yes, Stefan was in school. Stefan was just a boy, too young to know how to please a woman like Katherine. Katherine wanted much more than Stefan could give her, and Damon could supply her with it without her having to ask. Damon was more experienced, and more exciting, and that is why she chose him. Katherine did ask him to keep that a secret, though. And to pretend that nothing was going on between them, and that Katherine was still undecided about the whole thing. They only spent time together when Stefan was not around, or late at night when Stefan was asleep. Damon wished it did not have to be that way but he was happy that he was the one she chose. He was very happy.

Katherine studied his face as Damon thought, as if reading him. Then Damon realized that she was. "Katherine, you promised you wouldn't read my thoughts unless I asked you to," Damon pouted. Katherine laughed and shrugged, her eyes gleaming with innocence. "But, Damon, darling, it's involuntary. When you're like me, you will understand. I can hear your thoughts as if you were speaking them. I am just that Powerful," she explained once again. Damon had heard it before, but he didn't like the idea of having his private thoughts invaded. Damon even tried to hide that flash of a thought from Katherine, if that were to be possible. That was another thing.

Katherine was a vampire. A distinguished, Powerful vampire. Damon had interrogated her about her kind. She had explained everything thoroughly to him. He took pride in the fact that she trusted and loved him enough to share her deepest, darkest secret with him. He solemnly swore to keep her secret until the day he died..and rose again. He made an oath, and he exchanged blood with her. With vampires, the way they show love is not through sex, but through exchanging blood. Vampires very seldom gave their blood to a human. It was to either through pure love, or to save the human's life. Katherine told him that vampires did not have to kill to feed, which Damon was a bit surprised to hear. Katherine also told him that exchanging blood was very sentimental, and almost sacred. It showed a deep sense of loving and caring that was beyond all human comprehension. If a human should die, if they have vampire blood in their system, they will wake up..changed. To complete the transition, they would have to feed on their first human. Katherine told Damon that she would help him through that. Katherine promised that she would turn him, so that they could spend eternity with each other. Until then, Katherine would teach him more and more about the way she lived. Damon would eagerly learn. These lessons took place during the night. That is how they spent their time with each other. In the mornings when Stefan was at school, they spent their time together like this.

Damon was lost in his thoughts again, making instinctive yet loving gestures towards Katherine, before finally whispering into her ear, "Are you hungry, love?"

Katherine nodded, her lips now inches away from his throat. Damon gulped, but he reminded himself not to be scared. Damon felt Katherine's sharp fangs sink through the same spot she always bit into, and Damon shivered slightly, as he felt his blood being drawn from his vessels and into Katherine's mouth. It didn't hurt that much. Damon knew that Katherine cared enough to make sure it didn't hurt him. Damon smiled, as he heard Katherine slurp a bit, meaning she was going to pull away now. When she was finished, they smiled admirably at each other. While Katherine bit her wrist, tearing away some of her skin, Damon winced. He hated to watch her do that to herself, but she did it for him. Damon gently took her bleeding wrist, and brought it to his mouth, hesitating before he began to drink her blood. Damon ignored the initial bitterness of the taste of blood, and just drank. He had to get used to it anyway. Katherine watched, proudly. Katherine taught him how to feed, and he was quick to learn.

Stefan had just arrived from school, and the house was quiet. He strolled past the kitchen, and into the hallway that led to his room. In his room, was a sobbing Katherine. He rushed to her side and held her body against his. "Oh, Katherine, what's wrong?" Katherine's tears stained his shirt, but that was not important. What was important was why she was crying, and who he needed to kill for hurting her.

"Please, lock the door, Stefan," she begged through her sobs. Stefan obeyed, and went straight back to her, resuming the position they were in before. Stefan rubbed her back soothingly, until her sobs slowly faded. "Katherine, dear, what happened?" Stefan worried, he worried ever so deeply about Katherine's wellbeing. He knew the kind of danger that larked around her kind. So many people were probably out to get her, and if any of them laid a hand on her, he swore he'd-he was interrupted by a tender kiss from Katherine. Small beads of tears were still falling from her eyes, and Stefan lifted his hands to wipe them away. He waited patiently for her to answer, and he waited for her to open her eyes, so he could look into them. When she finally did, Stefan fought a smile, because he knew it would be inappropriate considering how she was feeling. Katherine slowly pulled away from Stefan, and she circled around his room. Something was seriously wrong, Stefan could sense it. Katherine finally extended her arm out towards Stefan. Stefan looked at her, curiously tilting his head. He stepped forward, taking her small, soft hand in his. Then something caught his eye, but when he took a second look, nothing was there. Just her gentle skin.

"I missed you," Katherine whispered, her lips curving into a pout, that drew Stefan closer to her instinctively. Stefan had missed her too, in fact she was the only thing on his mind during school. He couldn't focus, not one bit. He squeezed her hand tightly, and looked into her big, dark brown eyes.

"Is that why you were crying?" he asked, half-curiously yet half-proudly.

Katherine shrugged, and placed her free hand on the side of his neck. He knew what that meant. "Are you hungry?" She nodded. Stefan nodded as well, as he readied himself. Stefan knew what she was, and he was not afraid of the consequences. He accepted her, and since she loved him enough to share such an exceptional secret, well he knew then that the love they shared was profound. Stefan made a motion that he was ready, but admittedly, he was scared but he didn't let it show. Stefan knew that Katherine was able to read his mind. When you're a vampire, you have Power. When you feed, your Power grows stronger. Human blood was essential, if you wanted more Power. And with Power, comes responsibility. Katherine promised to teach him more when she turned him. Katherine didn't offer to turn him, but he begged. Stefan knew what he wanted, and he wanted her. Forever. And when he found out that there was such a way to do so, he was beyond eager to take his chances. While Stefan was floating among his thoughts, Katherine had sunk her teeth into the same bite marks on his neck, and Stefan felt his blood begin to flow out of system and into hers. He didn't mind. He would do whatever it took to keep her alive.

Damon had waited until the bite marks on his neck began to fade, until they were almost blended in with his skin. He checked himself in the mirror, before exiting his room. He passed by Stefan's room, hearing nothing but silence. He smirked. Stefan must be sulking in loneliness, wishing and praying to be Katherine's choice. That's just too bad. Damon continued down the hallway until he reached his father's office, and knocked until he was welcomed in. His father had requested to talk to him earlier, and Damon had just now remembered. Damon took a seat in a wooden rocking chair in front of his father's desk. Giuseppe took his time, finishing whatever it was he was writing, and until he finished, Damon was remembering his recent experience with Katherine. He smiled to himself, and sighed happily.

"Damon, let's go for a walk," Giuseppe whispered lowly. Damon wanted to question why his father was speaking so quietly, but his father was already dragging him out of the room and out of the house. It wasn't until they were halfway down the always shaded path, when Giuseppe finally spoke. "Our beloved town, Damon, I'm afraid, is in deep, deep trouble." Damon's dark eyebrows raised at his father's statement, and he found himself becoming anxious to know why, but he could feel that tingle in his gut that he got when he was scared.

"What is the problem, father?" Damon asked. And then Giuseppe said a word, a word that almost knocked Damon out of his shoes, one that almost sent him flying back home to warn the woman he loved from the incoming danger that would be after her.

"Vampires."


	2. Chapter 2: Present Day

December 13, 2009

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a while since I've written to you, and I'm so very sorry for that. A lot has happened since my last entry. It's too much to explain, but Bonnie is here. She's in the bathroom. She spent the night last night. Today is my first day back to school since the accident. I'm nervous, but I guess I'll be okay. I've got Bonnie with me, and Meredith. Caroline, too, will be some kind of help, I'm hoping. No promises though, right? I've decided, that I will no longer believe in promises. Promises are just words, just like lies can be. Words are just..words. No one but the speaker will know what they really mean. I think Bonnie's finished. Time to go. Wish me luck. _

_ Elena_

The bathroom door swung open, and a dark-haired, dark-skinned girl walked out. "Ready to go, Elena?" Bonnie asked, slipping her arms through the straps of her backpack. Elena closed her diary, and threw it under her bed.

"Your definition of ready, or my definition?" Elena asked, her voice soft. Bonnie pursed her lips, and sighed. She walked towards Elena, and threw her arms around her, taking her into a warm hug. "I'm so sorry, Elena," Bonnie whispered, "but I'm here, and you'll be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Elena nodded, "I know," she said. But she didn't mean it. "Come on," she said, as she rose from her seat on the small couch near the window. Bonnie frowned slightly, and led the way out.

Elena walked into Robert E. Lee High, taking a deep breath. She realized that she probably missed a lot, and had a lot of catching up to do. She expected a lot of sympathy, and a lot of awkward stares. Elena made her way to her locker, Bonnie following close behind her. Elena was interrupted by someone tall and slim, with her brown hair tied up in a high ponytail. Elena looked up at the face of her friend, Meredith. "Hey," Meredith greeted her, before pulling Elena into a hug. Elena added that to her list. She expected a lot of hugs. Elena sighed, returning the hug, and the "Hey" when they pulled away from each other. "I'm so sorry about your parents, Elena. I missed you so much."

Elena smiled slightly, and shrugged. "It's fine. I missed you too," she said, and indeed she meant it. Elena missed a lot of people.

Bonnie, Meredith, and Elena continued walking down the hall, and suddenly Bonnie stopped in her tracks, as they were passing by the administration office. Elena stopped as well, and soon after, Meredith, who had to turn and walk back to them. "What's going on?" Meredith questioned, and Bonnie held up her index finger.

"Shh."

"She just told me to shh!" Meredith complained to Elena, and Elena let out a soft laugh.

Bonnie's finger had gone from pointing to the ceiling, to pointing ahead of them and into the office. The door was open quite a bit, enough for them to peek inside. Elena stuck her head into the crevice, and caught a glimpse of what Bonnie had been gawking at, before pulling herself back.

"All I see is back," she said, shrugging.

Bonnie added, "A very, very hot back."

Meredith went in for a look, and added, "He better have a hot front too, or else this was a very disappointing find."

Elena laughed, suddenly feeling the awkwardness of her return begin to fade. She stuck her head back in to watch, and she tried to hear what the guy they had been gushing over was talking about with the administrator.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is just not enough for us to let you into this school."

Stefan stared into the administrator's eyes, "Please look again. Everything you need is right there."

"You're right, everything's here, welcome to Robert E. Lee, Mr. Salvatore."

Stefan nodded, and smiled. "Thank you."

Elena tilted her head, before sliding herself away from the door. "That was weird," she said to her two friends who were babbling about how hot the guy looked in his leather jacket. They both looked at her and tilted their heads as well, asking in unison, "What was?"

Elena shrugged, "Nothing, never mind." Then the trio walked away from the office, and to their first class, which Bonnie and Elena shared. "See you at lunch!" Meredith called at them, as she hurried to beat the bell. Bonnie and Elena entered their history class, and took their usual seats. They noticed that the teacher's desk was empty, and no one was sitting behind it. They looked at each other in wonder. Elena heard footsteps at the door, and expected it to be their history teacher, but she was wrong. It was the guy in the leather jacket. What had the administrator called him? Mr. Salvatore? Maybe he was their new history teacher. But that was impossible, he looked way too young. Elena was glad she was wrong about him being their teacher, as he took a seat in the back of the room. Bonnie and Elena looked at each other again, and Bonnie winked at her playfully. Elena laughed quietly, then stared at the door. The bell rang, but they still had no teacher. Elena couldn't help but look back casually, catching a glimpse of the so-called Mr. Salvatore. Finally, Mr. Saltzman walked into the room, looking gloomier than ever. Elena returned her gaze to the front of the room. Mr. Saltzman plopped into his seat, and dumped his belongings onto his desk. "Hello, sorry I'm late," he said with a yawn. "Busy night last night," he sighed.

"Mr. Saltzman got laid!" Tyler Smallwood hollered, and his little posse laughed obnoxiously. Elena rolled her eyes at their immaturity.

"No, that was not the case," Mr. Saltzman stated, emotionlessly.

"He so got laid!" Tyler hollered once again.

"At least he has a chance of getting laid, unlike you immature losers," said Elena.

The class all laughed at that one, and Mr. Saltzman waited a while for them to settle down. Elena looked back once again, then realized she had caught the eye of Mr. Salvatore. She offered him a friendly smile, and he returned it. She bit her bottom lip, then looked ahead once again.

"Elena, it's good to see that you're back, we all missed you," Mr. Saltzman smiled slightly. Then he rose from his seat, and turned to write on the chalkboard.

Class went by slowly, and Elena must have looked back at least twenty times. She knew she must have appeared desperate, but she was desperate. She wanted to know him. There was something about him that drew her to him. The way he looked at her..it was mysterious. It looked as if there was a lot of pain in his eyes. And she wanted to know why.

By lunch time, Elena had received thirty hugs, fifty "I'm sorry's" and zero greetings from Caroline. Where was that girl? Elena made her way to her usual table in the courtyard, where Meredith and Bonnie were already seated.

"I forgot to ask, but, where's Caroline?" she questioned, taking a seat. Caroline was Elena's friend since babyhood. Their mothers were friends since high school, but then of course, Elena's mother died. Elena fought back the sting in the back of her eyes, and stifled the sound of her sniffle. Bonnie looked at Elena, and shrugged.

"She's in Paris. She didn't give us a reason why, she just left."

Meredith nodded, "Yeah, and she wanted us to tell you something. I just forgot what."

Bonnie closed her eyes, as if she were reading something on the back of her eyelids. "Tell Elena that I'm sorry for her loss. It sucks that her parents died, but maybe this will finally get her to realize that she can't have everything, you know? When she comes back, I wonder if she'll notice that this school was totally fine without her, like, we don't even need her, do we?" Bonnie paused. "Well, I don't, and you can tell her that. It was way easier to say that without having to look at her face."

Meredith frowned, and nodded once again, "Yeah...that. Word for word..how'd you remember that, Bonnie?"

Bonnie opened her eyes, and shrugged, "I have a good memory. But, Elena, I don't know what got into her, she was crazy that day."

Elena didn't know how to respond. She had known Caroline for so long, how could she say something like that about her? Elena shook her head slowly, and rose from her seat. She was just about to storm away, but screamed as she saw a figure right in front of her. "Oh my God, you scared me!"

He looked at her, his apology in his eyes.

"What were you doing there?" Elena asked him.

Bonnie and Meredith stared up at them, watching this exchange.

"I'm Stefan," he said, his voice low and husky.

"That's..nice?" Elena said, her left eyebrow raising. Stefan's appearance was random, and he scared her, which made things all the more awkward.

"You're Elena, and not any other name, correct?"

"That would be right, why?" Elena asked, obviously puzzled by the question.

"No reason."

"Okay, well, nice meeting you?" Elena said, trying her best not to offend him.

Elena watched as Stefan's posture seemed to tense up. Had she said something wrong? Suddenly, she heard something thump behind her, and she quickly turned to see that Meredith and Bonnie's lunches were on the ground. As they scurried to pick up their food, Elena turned back towards Stefan. But he was gone.

Stefan stormed through the woods, pushing branches out of his way. He shook the memory of the incident with Katherine. No, Elena. Her name was Elena. But she looked so much like Katherine, and even sounded like her too. It's impossible, but Stefan lived in a world full of the impossible. Stefan ran his fingers through his brown hair, his jaw clenching under stress. He looked around, and his breathing stopped. He knew this place. He squinted, and the memories surfaced, as much as he didn't want them to.

"No!" Stefan cried, as he ran as fast as he could. Katherine was running away from him, giggling childishly. "Catch me if you can!" she yelled, and then she was out of his sight. Stefan stopped, catching his breath, looking around frantically. "Katherine, come on, this isn't fun anymore!" Stefan heard Katherine's laugh, behind him. He turned to face her, but she wasn't there. He felt someone poke his shoulder from behind, and he turned once again, and there she was. Her dark curly hair bounced as she laughed, and she threw her arms around his neck. His breathing was still heavy, but he was mesmerized by her beauty. Her eyes were captivating, as was everything else about her. "You're such a weakling, growing tired after only an hour of chasing," she teased.

Stefan raised his eyebrows, as he wrapped his arms around her small waist. "An hour is a long time, Katherine, of course I'll be tired. I'm only human," he chuckled.

Katherine smirked, as she moved in closer on his neck. Stefan gulped. "I can change that, so easily, Stefan. We can be together, forever. And forever is much longer than an hour, my love."

"What just happened?" Elena asked not only Bonnie and Meredith, but herself. Scraps of Bonnie and Meredith's lunches were scattered on the ground, and Stefan had disappeared without notice. Elena and her friends looked at each other, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. "How did your lunches get on the ground?"

Bonnie answered with a shrug, and Meredith shook her head, "I-I don't know, you didn't see it either?"

Elena shook her head, remembering how Stefan had tensed up. "Did-did Stefan do it?" Elena answered herself. _No, that would be impossible._

And as if reading her mind, Bonnie nodded, "Yeah, I don't think so, he couldn't have, it's impossible."

So what happened? Meredith sat, deep in thought, and Bonnie was biting her thumbnail. Elena sighed, finally taking a seat, and poked at her food with her fork.

Meredith suddenly jumped up and whipped her head in every direction possible. "Meredith, what is it?" Elena asked, watching her friend. Bonnie stared up at Meredith in wonder. Meredith just kept looking, and Elena was beginning to worry. Finally Meredith sat down, and she was breathing hard. Elena and Bonnie both stared at Meredith until she spoke.

"If it wasn't our elbows, and it wasn't Stefan, and it certainly couldn't be something that just walked by and knocked our lunches down, it probably came from behind us, but I didn't have any sense of its presence at all," Meredith said, shaking her head slowly.

Bonnie nodded, agreeing. Elena then pursed her lips. She didn't want to get too into detail with this. It was probably just an animal, or a clumsy student.

"Bonnie, you're awfully quiet," Elena whispered, touching Bonnie's elbow.

Bonnie shivered, and looked at Elena. There was a sense of helplessness in her eyes. "I can feel it," Bonnie whispered to Elena. "It's watching us."

Elena shook her head, as her eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Bonnie, what are you talking about?"

And then Bonnie screamed.

"Elena! Make it stop!" Bonnie shrieked. The entire courtyard was staring at the three girls. Elena grabbed Bonnie's small hands, and Meredith was shaking Bonnie by the shoulders. "STOP! STOP! STOP!" Bonnie cried. Elena squeezed Bonnie's hands. That's really all she could do, she didn't know what was going on or how to stop it. Bonnie was in hysterics, and she never saw her like this before.

"Bonnie! What's happening?" Elena worried.

"Please! Make it stop!" Bonnie's face was beginning to grow paler, her face showing utter terror. Suddenly a new pair of hands were handling Bonnie. Elena looked up, and gasped.

"Bonnie, listen to me carefully, I need you to calm down," he said sternly, staring at Bonnie. "Please, open your eyes and look at me."

Elena stared for a moment, then focused again on Bonnie. "Bonnie, listen to Stefan, open your eyes, look at us, you're fine, you're okay,"

Bonnie was in tears, begging for _something_..whatever it was, to stop. Finally her eyes flew open, and she was gasping for air.

Then she was calm.

Stefan was obviously confused, and he was just staring at Bonnie.

"Wha-what just happened? Why is everyone staring at me?"

Elena and Meredith exchanged glances, and they both hugged Bonnie.

Stefan stood above them, just watching. Elena looked up at him during the embrace. He seemed to be mumbling something to himself, but Elena could see that he was shocked. He was truly shocked, maybe even more than she and Meredith were. As soon as the three girls broke away from the hug, Bonnie opened her mouth, probably to repeat her questions but the bell rang. Elena stood, gathered her things, and said goodbye to Bonnie and Meredith. She also gave Bonnie another quick hug and a concerned look. Bonnie was still puzzled, but Meredith led her to her next class while Elena was now standing beside Stefan Salvatore.

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking ahead but directing it to Stefan.

Stefan nodded, "I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything, but she was fine," he said, but it sounded more like he was contemplating something with himself.

Elena shrugged, and brushed her hair away from her neck. She felt a sudden tension, and from the corner of her eye, she could swear that..

Stefan turned away from her when she turned to face him. "Stefan, are you okay?"

No answer.

"Stefan?" she placed her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, and without a word, began running away from her.

Again? Why did he keep disappearing? They've only talked twice, and she was sure she hadn't given him a reason to hate her. Not yet at least. Could he really be that judgmental? Elena groaned, and stormed off to class. Not angry at Stefan, but more angry at herself. What was it that bothered him? It was her, but what about her?

_December 13, 2009_

_Dear Diary, _

_ I know I've already written today, but that was before school. Now, it's nighttime. Actually, it's almost midnight. I can't exactly figure out why I can't sleep. I'm guessing it's the stress. I don't know why I'm so stressed. Why am I so caught up in what Stefan Salvatore thinks of me? Since when was he my priority? I don't have to please him, he doesn't even know me, but yet he runs away from me like I'm some sort of..monster. I'm not a monster. I don't even know him..Oh, I'm sorry, Diary. I just realized you don't know who he is either. He's this guy. He's new at Robert E. Lee and since I haven't seen him around town before, I'm guessing he's new at Mystic Falls too. Which makes him this huge mystery guy, that literally no one knows anything about. Yes, he's handsome. Very..very handsome. The most handsome guy I've ever seen. And the way he talks..Oh, God help me. I can't be falling for this guy. We've only talked like, twice, and not to mention he ran away from me both times. Ugh. I really need to stop thinking about him. What else happened today? Oh, wait..._

_ December 14, 2009_

_It's midnight..Um. Well, today, during lunch. When I was talking to you-know-who, somehow Bonnie and Meredith's lunches flew to the ground. Bonnie and Meredith didn't do it. We don't really know what, but it's not a big deal. But the big deal is well, after Stefan disappeared, I mean, you-know-who..we were trying to figure out what happened and all of the sudden Bonnie started having this episode. She kept screaming and begging us to stop something. Or begging something to stop. I had no idea what was going on. She was scaring me. And of course S...you-know-who comes out of nowhere and starts asking Bonnie to open her eyes and look at him. I know he wanted to help but what was that going to do? Seconds later, Bonnie was fine again. Isn't that weird?_

_Anyway, I think now that I've let it all out, I'm ready to sleep. Goodnight._

_ Elena_


	3. Chapter 3: The Mistake

Damon Salvatore considered himself to be the prince of darkness, and he felt that what he thought was law. Damon gave himself a smirk in his rearview mirror. Damon's style of driving was illegal in every dimension, but who really gave a damn? Certainly not him. Everything in his life was carefully controlled by each action he made. Oh who was he kidding? He lived life on the whim, but he made sure that everything would work out for the better. Well, the better for him. Damon hit the gas, and his car skidded to a stop. "Welcome home, Damon," he said to himself, before getting out of his yellow Ferrari. He kicked the door shut, then began walking out towards the woods. Why the hell had his instincts led him here? Of all places, why here? He didn't know, but he didn't question it. He caught a whiff of something in the air, and could sense some movement. Oh, how he loved his vampire senses. In a blink of an eye, he was hiding behind the trunk of a tree, a smirk remaining on his face. Damon could hear laughter, and rustling. He could sense desire. He knew what he was after now. Damon climbed this tree, then traveled from branch to branch until he was right above the couple he had heard before. His smirk had turned into an expression of disgust. The idea of love disgusted Damon; it was nothing to him. It was merely..what was it? A secondhand emotion, just like the wise Tina Turner had stated in her ever so catchy tune. Damon licked his suddenly dry lips, realizing his thirst. He had not had a meal since last night because he was driving all day. The couple had continued their little...lovefest up to the point they were both on the ground. Damon rolled his eyes, as he read young man's thoughts. Sex. If loving someone was the only way to have sex, then sex must be as pointless as love itself.

"Baby, not here, it's creepy out here," the girl had said. He could feel the young man's disappointment. Damon grinned. They both began to sit up, and Damon could feel his veins beginning to yearn for their blood. Then they began talking about love, and commitment. Damon gagged. Then the couple stood and began to walk away. And that's when Damon jumped off the branch and landed squarely on his feet, barely making a sound. The couple kept on walking, clueless as to what was about to happen to them. "Wait, I think my phone fell out of my pocket back there. You head on to the car, I'll go get it," the girl said. Damon quickly moved behind another tree, that seemingly permanent smirk on his face once again. The girl scurried back towards the spot she was in before. Damon studied her. She must have been, what, 15? Maybe 16. She was decent-looking...Damon stopped himself. Here was his chance. As the girl looked left and right, Damon suddenly appeared in front of her, her phone enclosed in his fist. The girl stared at him in awe. And of course the first thing she would ask was..

But Damon's gaze kept her locked in and shut up.

"You don't need to know who I am, but you are not allowed to leave and go back to your little...boy..thing. You will do as I say and you will not tell a soul who did this to you. Perhaps you may tell them an animal got to you. Perhaps, well, there is no perhaps. You won't live to tell anyone anything," Damon paused to chuckle, "but, you're okay with that." The way her eyes dilated along with his let Damon know that the compelling was successful. "Now do as I say."

"I will do what you say," the girl repeated monotonously.

"Tilt your head."

She tilted her head and Damon brushed her long, reddish-brownish..maybe it was blonde. Whatever color it was, it was a distraction. Anyway, he brushed her hair back, leaving her neck fully exposed to him. He could see the vein that his teeth were aching to sink into. And now..

The initial bite was perfectly positioned, and her blood was gushing down his throat. He could feel himself growing stronger..more..alive. He drank her, he drained her, then dumped her carcass in the nearby stream. His bloodstained lips curved into a devious smile. One down. One to go. Damon began rushing towards where he knew the boy would be. Once he found the Volkswagen, he didn't hesitate to speed over to the boy, pull him out of the car, and throw him against the tree and take all of the blood from his useless body. He also threw this one in the stream as well.

"There," Damon spat, "now you two can carry out your undying love in wherever the hell you humans go when you die."

And then he headed back to his car, got back in, and basked in his new Power. Damon truly admired himself. He just couldn't understand why no one else did.

Damon continued driving down the road, exceeding the speed limit, as always. If any cops dared to stop him, he'd just kill them. The laws they enforced meant nothing to him. Damon drove until his instincts told him to stop. That's how he traveled. Then he'd stay until his instincts told him to leave. That's how he resided. Damon held his Ferrari to a stop, and found himself to be..back home. No. This isn't right. It can't be. Not even his instincts wouldn't even dare do that to him. Not home. Home was hell. He tried to keep driving, but his car wouldn't budge. He yanked the keys out of the ignition, then put them back in, attempting to start the car once again. Nothing.

"Damn it," Damon muttered, then finally got out of the car. "Useless piece of metal, that's what you are," Damon hissed as he kicked one of the tires of the car. The tire popped. Damon chuckled, proud of his strength. "Thank you, annoying human couple," he said aloud. Damon strolled along the road, not bothering to rush anything. He didn't want to go into town. He didn't want to see that always shaded path. He didn't want to see the descendants of the founding families. He didn't want to be here. So why was he here? Damon kicked aside dry, fallen leaves. If it was cold, he didn't feel it. Temperature didn't quite affect him, simply because he could control weather. His eyes widened as he remembered that. Sometimes, he forgot how Powerful he really was. So now, he began thinking of storms. Oh, how he loved storms. Damon looked up, as herds of cumulous clouds began to cover the sky. He smiled, as he felt the first breeze that would build up into howling gusts. Damon then continued walking down the road, laughing. The winds seemed to whisper, "Welcome home, Damon."

Stefan Salvatore was hunting. He was hungry. Starved. Running through the woods, he listened carefully for any movement or sound. Footsteps. Yes. A meal at last. No. It's a human. Stefan shook his head, trying to control himself. But..just one bite. No! His jaw clenched. He knew that just one bite could kill. The bite wasn't the dangerous part, it was actually drawing the blood from the innocent human being. He sympathized them. He used to be one of them. Stefan wanted so badly that he was one of them again. The footsteps were coming closer. Stefan could sense the human coming closer. Stefan looked around helplessly, for somewhere to hide. He forgot he was in the woods. There were plenty of hiding places here. Stefan climbed a tree effortlessly, and stood silently. He gulped, now realizing just how dry his throat was. Stefan winced as the human began walking closer, close enough now that Stefan could see her. It was a girl. It was too dark to see her features. That was good, at least he didn't have to look at the face of his victim. She was thinking about a table? Now she was thinking about some kind of human food. Stefan had seen something like it inside of one of those..grasshopper..gross..grocery stores. Yes. Grocery stores. Stefan watched as the girl stopped, right beneath the branch he was perched on. What was she doing in the middle of the woods? At one in the morning? Stefan looked at the sky. It looked like a storm was brewing. So what on Earth made her come outside? Stefan could hear her..she was crying? But why? Stefan was uncertain of what to do. He was so hungry..and he didn't have to kill her. He wouldn't. He just needed..and before he knew it, he was on the ground, standing before this woman, who was simply staring at him in shock. He grabbed her, and bit her, in just the right vein. And he drank, ignoring her helpless screams. He needed this. To stay alive. Or whatever he was. Then Stefan finally realized what he was doing, and he pulled away, gasping at himself. The girl fainted in his arms. She wasn't dead. Stefan could hear her heart slowly beating. She was unconscious, how was he going to compel her to forget what just happened? Damn it, Stefan thought. He didn't know what to do next. Instead he stared at this girl in his arms. Suddenly all oxygen left Stefan's system, and he dropped the almost devitalized human in his arms. As she fell to the ground, the moon snuck between a crevice between two storm clouds. Its light barely shone through, but with his new Power, Stefan's vampire senses were stronger. He could see clearly in this dimly lit environment. He knew the face of this girl...he..No..

Bonnie.

The clouds had finally let loose and rain began streaming down. Stefan was panicking and he knew he had to act fast. He held the unconscious Bonnie in his arms, and he was surging through the forest until he reached his place of residence. He was moving so fast, he could barely feel the raindrops touch him. "Mrs. Flowers!" he yelled, as he stopped abruptly. Mrs. Flowers, as if she had been standing behind the front door all this time waiting for him, opened the door and Stefan rushed inside, setting Bonnie on the leather couch in the living room. "Mrs. Flowers, please, this girl needs help," Stefan panted, bolting around the house, picking up anything he could find that would help. He was faster, thanks to her blood. Stefan cursed himself for even thinking about his benefits. He had an unconscious girl on the couch, and not to mention, she was the best friend of the reason why he had come back home in the first place. When he returned to Bonnie, Mrs. Flowers was already fixing up some sort of medicine. Stefan hurriedly applied a damp towel on the bite marks he had left on Bonnie's neck, applying pressure to stop the bleeding altogether. He wiped the bite marks ever so gently, then placed the damp towel on the coffee table. He then used his own two fingers, placing them tenderly on the two separate punctures. Stefan closed his eyes, and using his new Power to heal the wounds. It didn't work as well as he had hoped. He was still too weak to do such a thing. He did fade the marks, and made them look less subtle. The wounds would heal on their own after a few days. Bonnie still hadn't made one move, but Stefan could still hear her struggling pulse. Stefan then realized that she didn't have enough blood in her system to make it through the night. Had Stefan really lost track of time and taken too much blood? Stefan didn't know what to do next. Giving his blood to her was far too dangerous, there was no way he was going to risk changing her. His only hope was Mrs. Flowers, who was briskly stirring something as she made her way to him. "This should help," Mrs. Flowers said, looking just as worried as Stefan was. Stefan appreciated that she wasn't asking any questions. Not yet at least. Mrs. Flowers finished stirring, and gave the mixture to Stefan. The scent was something along the lines of herbs and cinnamon. Mrs. Flowers tilted Bonnie's head back, and carefully parted her lips enough for Stefan to pour the potion into. The hard part was getting Bonnie to swallow. Stefan stared at Bonnie's closed eyes, and hoped that his stronger Power would get through at least her eyelids. He thought, letting his thoughts focus on Bonnie swallowing the potion. Mrs. Flowers touched Stefan's arm, and gave him an assuring nod. It worked. Stefan let out a sigh of relief, and Bonnie's fingers twitched. The potion was working too.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers, thank you," Stefan said through another sigh of relief. Mrs. Flowers responded with a solemn nod, and went up the stairs. Stefan frowned. He could sense her disappointment, he could read her shame in him. He was ashamed and disappointed of himself as well. Stefan lost control, control that he had worked on for more than a century. He looked at Bonnie, who was soundlessly asleep. He looked through her mind, for more ways on how to identify her. He went through her memories of her time with friends, and saw many images of Katherine? No, that's not possible. Then he was reminded that the images must have been of Elena. The images went by so fast, because he was still focused on finding a way to contact her family members. Finally, Bonnie's memory showed him her address, and an image of what her house looked like. Then it showed him Elena again. It pained him to look at that face, that resembled Katherine so much that his heart stung. Stefan looked away, and all of Bonnie's mind disappeared from his. Stefan then sat on the lounge chair that was on the other side of the coffee table, positioned diagonally from the couch. He sat there, watching Bonnie attentively until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Bonnie woke up, inhaling an excess amount of oxygen like she hadn't known air her whole life. Her eyes flew open, and she was staring at a ceiling. Not her ceiling, but a ceiling. Bonnie immediately sat up, her hands feeling the texture of the couch. Leather. Her couch was not leather. This was not her house. Where the hell was she? Bonnie, alarmed by her unfamiliar surroundings, turned her head and nearly screamed. Before anything escaped her mouth, an elderly woman wearing a sunhat was walking into this room that she had never seen before. Bonnie's breathing quickened, but the elderly woman gave her a compassionate smile. "It's so nice to see you are well, you gave us quite a scare last night," the elderly lady said, so very kindly. Bonnie wanted to say that she had been giving her quite a scare, but she couldn't help but notice that the woman had said we.

"We?" Bonnie wondered, noticing that her voice sounded a bit choked up.

"Bonnie," a voice said beside her. Bonnie was scared to look, but she did anyway. Stefan Salvatore was the last person she expected to see here. Her scattered mind was now trying to piece things together. What happened last night that was so scary? And why did she wake up in Stefan Salvatore's house? And why did her head hurt so much, and why did her neck feel like it had been cut by a freshly sharpened knife? She had so many questions, and her mouth opened to ask them, but Stefan beat her to it. And that's when Stefan explained everything.

Bonnie had forgotten to breathe during Stefan's explanation. She stared at both him and Mrs. Flowers in disbelief. She didn't know whether she wanted to scream, or run. She didn't know if she wanted to thank Stefan or kill him. But the thing was, she didn't quite know how to kill a vampire. Finally, Bonnie took a long, deep breath, and said her first words in the past hour. "So..you ate me?"

Stefan shook his head and shrugged. "Technically yes, but also no." Bonnie looked down at her hands which were folded neatly on her lap. Bonnie didn't know how to react due to being informed with such bizarre news. Then Stefan sat beside her on the couch, and looked at her. Bonnie knew she wanted him to turn and look at him as well, but she couldn't face him. Not after what he just told her. She scooted away instinctively, and she couldn't fight the fact that she was scared. Stefan sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. Bonnie kept her eyes on her hands, but she listened to what Stefan was saying. "Bonnie, you have to swear to me, that you won't tell anyone about this. If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, without my consent, there will be a lot of chaos in Mystic Falls, and believe me, you do not want that chaos in your life. Understand?" Stefan spoke sternly, and Bonnie could tell he was sincere about this. Bonnie could sense no real danger coming from Stefan, but she still expected it. It was natural, coming from his kind. His kind, being the supernatural. Bonnie's body shivered slightly, but she gradually nodded.

"Stefan, I swear I won't tell a single soul, living or nonliving," Bonnie said, and she truly meant it. She knew it was crazy to agree to such a thing with a vampire, especially one who just drank her blood last night. He almost killed her, yes, but still, he didn't. She was still alive, and she knew that he made sure that she would be. Even though she had no memory of the past night, she knew it happened and why she couldn't remember it. Stefan had admitted to compelling her while she had slept, just in case. It would lessen the amount of panicking when she woke up. Stefan had told her some basics about the Power of vampires. She nodded slowly, pretending to understand. Stefan had also told her that his regular diet consisted of animals, as in animals he finds scampering around in the woods. He chose that path because he wanted to maintain his humanity, and that he had sympathy for the human race. Stefan chose not to think of humans as food, but every once in a while, to get his strength back, he had no choice. Sometimes, he'd steal a bag or two from a local blood bank. Bonnie didn't want to know this information, but she knew she had to. Something inside her assured her that she could trust Stefan, and her intuition never failed her. Her intuition had brought her friends like Elena, and Meredith. Her intuition had told her to steer away from Caroline, and avoid telling her any personal information. Her intuition told her that Stefan meant no harm.

She finally made her decision, and decided to thank Stefan, as well as Mrs. Flowers. She still knew nothing about Mrs. Flowers, other than she made Bonnie a special medicine that helped her with her blood loss, and that her name was Mrs. Flowers. She also knew that this was not Stefan's house, it was a boardinghouse that was owned by Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Flowers had let him stay there because one, she needed company and two, her ancestors knew him very well. She was indeed very old, and that was a given. Anyone who walked by her would know that. Finally, Stefan offered to take Bonnie home, and Bonnie didn't ask how he would know where she lived. Because she knew. It was pretty cool, knowing all this. But she couldn't tell anyone. Not a soul. Stefan obviously trusted her and there was no way she was going to take advantage of that. Bonnie realized that this new friendship between them was going to take a lot of work, and she was going to have to keep a lot of secrets from her best friends. Even Elena. She had never not told Elena anything, but this was not her secret to tell anyway. She was thinking about all this during the car ride to her house. Stefan was a good driver, and Bonnie couldn't help but wonder how long he had been driving. Something red and blue caught Bonnie's eyes, and she gasped slightly. Bonnie looked over at Stefan, who was just as paralyzed as she was. He even stopped the car in the middle of the street.

Police cars were surrounding Bonnie's driveway, and her parents were worriedly talking to a police officer who was scribbling away on a notepad. "Oh, God," Bonnie whined. "I'm so sorry!"

Stefan shook his head slowly, and unlocked the car doors. Bonnie knew that she would have to get out, and she wouldn't get the chance to introduce him to her parents. Him being the guy who almost killed her, but still saved her. Bonnie didn't know how to explain this to her parents, but the perfect lie somehow came across her mind. She then realized that Stefan had put it in there, and she thought, Thanks. And she pretended that she could hear him think, You're welcome.

Bonnie then saw another familiar car parked near her house. It was Elena's. Oh no. She didn't have a lie for Elena. Bonnie hid her uneasiness, and as she approached her house, her parents' faces brightened. Bonnie held out her arms, and her parents came running towards her, almost knocking her over with their hugs and kisses. Another person had joined the embrace and Bonnie already knew it was Elena. And more weight joined the hug. Meredith. And then something pounced on them all. Her dog. And that sent them down onto the ground. They all laughed, mid-cry, and all sat up on the ground. Her friends and her parents were crying tears of pure joy, and Bonnie didn't know how to respond. She appreciated their concern, but she couldn't even tell them where she was, or what happened. Instead, she repeated the lie that was placed in her mind. She spoke loudly so the police officers could hear too. "I'm sorry I didn't come home last night. I had a nightmare, so I went for a walk in the woods, but I ended up getting lost, and just fell asleep there, but I'm fine now, and I'm home," she said, her voice good and honest. Too bad it wasn't.

The rest of the day was a rush, and it consisted of a lot of questions, and it was up to Bonnie to come up with answers that supported her lie of a story. She didn't like calling it a lie. She preferred calling it a not-truth. It just sounded better than the word lie. She had successfully made it through the day. After the police, Meredith, and Elena left, Bonnie went straight to bed to avoid anymore questions from her parents. In bed, Bonnie prayed long and hard. She prayed for support to help her through this. She didn't want to betray Stefan, but that made her betray her loved ones, and she didn't want to do that either. In all her confusion, Bonnie finally let herself sleep. And it was nice to know she was in her own bed this time, too.

Stefan was all the more guilty after dropping off Bonnie at her police-infested home. He made her lie for him, and from reading her mind and after one look at her aura, he knew that she was not a liar. Stefan knew how hard it must be, to keep such a profound secret. He had to do it once before as well. For Katherine. A lump in his throat formed as his mind came across her name. A name that once brought so much joy and happiness to his heart, now made his heart crumble. It didn't help that he had to see her face everyday now. If it hurt so much, why didn't he just leave? Why? Well, he just had to know just who Elena Gilbert is. Did she really just look like Katherine by coincidence? But it didn't make any sense. Not at all. Stefan has lived for a very, very long time, and never before had he seen a case like this. He was drawn in, and it was too late for him to take himself out. Driving through these now paved roads towards the boardinghouse, Stefan realized how badly he wanted to cry. How strange it was. To feel this way. Elena Gilbert. Stefan had gotten her last name from Bonnie's memories. He also got a little more information on her, which made him realize he knew barely anything about her. Which made him feel like a failure. All he wanted was to know this girl. But all he knew was her first and last name. He knew she looked like Katherine, sounded like Katherine, but acted nothing like Katherine. Her aura was nothing similar to Katherine's. And eventually, he would realize that she truly is not Katherine. Stefan also knew that Elena was beautiful inside and out, and that she had recently lost her parents in a car accident. Stefan, however, did not have to look into Bonnie's mind to know that. How Stefan had first found Elena, was truly astounding..but tragic. In fact, the incident with Bonnie reminded Stefan of the time he saw Elena for the first time. Stefan had been hunting in the woods, deep in the woods. He could hear young teenagers laughing, and he knew that there was a party going on. After his meal of a couple squirrels, Stefan had wandered closer into town, recognizing this place more and more with each step. He realized he had found his way home, the last place he wanted to be. A bonfire caught Stefan's eye, and he winced as painful memories flashed through his mind. Memories that he immediately pushed away. Then he could hear someone..a girl, struggling.

The faint voice was asking, no begging, "Please, stop, I don't want to, stop it!"

Stefan's eyebrows crinkled curiously, and he went closer to the source of the sound. It was there were he saw a boy, pinning a girl on the cold, wet ground of the woods. He took one angry step forward, ready to help the girl, when suddenly he sensed an older couple heading their way. He hid behind at tree trunk, and heard everything, and could see the scene in his mind. The man had picked up the boy whom was practically assaulting the girl, and thrown him against a tree. That knocked the boy out.

Good riddance, Stefan had thought. Then the man and the woman started scolding the girl to no end. The woman yanked the girl by the ear, Stefan could smell alcohol in the air. The girl was drunk. But she looked like she was just in high school, around his age. Then Stefan remembered, he was 161 years old but as far as anyone else knew, he was 17. Stefan followed, tree trunk after tree trunk, as the couple dragged, Stefan now knew, their daughter into the car that was parked in the nearby road. Even as they drove away, Stefan followed. He did not have the slightest clue why, but he was concerned about the girl. He wondered if the boy had hurt her, and he didn't want her parents to hurt her either. At Stefan's speed, he would be invisible to the family inside the car. And then the unthinkable happened. In the midst of yelling, and looking back at his daughter, the father had lost control of the car. Stefan heard, "Dad! Watch out!" and that was the last of it. The car had driven onto the bridge, even when Stefan had grabbed the car, using all his strength to stop it, it drove right into the lake. Stefan used his strength to try and pull the car back up, but it was no use. He just was not Powerful enough. This was going to hamper the rescue very much, was the first thing that Stefan thought of. Stefan dove into the water, and located the slowly sinking car. He knew how humans worked, since he was one before. He knew, oh he knew, he was running out of time. Fast. So he went straight for the humans inside the car. He was able to break the windows, and he was only strong enough to carry one of them at a time. Instinctively, he picked up the girl first, and swam as fast as he possibly could back up to the bridge. He gently placed her on the bridge. Water was not a vampire's best friend, so swimming was just as difficult for Stefan as it would be for a three year old at their first swimming lesson. Stefan immediately dove back into the water, making his best attempt to save the girl's parents. He used up the rest of his strength from his most recent meal, to yank the couple out of the car, but he could sense that the humans in his arms..were gone. Instantly, his face flushed with shame as he swam back up and placed the girl's parents on the bridge beside her. The only one who was showing the slightest signs of being alive was the girl. He finally looked at her, for the first time, and his blue-green eyes grew wide with astonishment. They stayed wide, even after he had performed CPR on the girl. It had gotten some of the water out of her lungs, but it was not enough. The girl, was it..it couldn't have been. But Stefan wondered. After trying the CPR again, his lips touching hers once again. Her lips were so wet, so cold, like the ground that she was laying on earlier when the garbage whose name was Tyler Smallwood, was assaulting her. Stefan treated this girl like a fragile glass vase, he was extremely gentle when handling her. Finally, the unnamed girl sucked in air helplessly. The sound of her gaping for air would have normally worried a person, but it brought a hopeful smile to Stefan's almost permanently furrowed, yet ever so handsome face. He looked at her parents, and his smile faded as fast as it appeared. "I am so sorry," he said to the girl, and then he bolted to the police station, reported the accident, and that's what started everything.


	4. Chapter 4: Freaky Friendships

Stefan parked his car in the driveway, and entered the boardinghouse that Mrs. Flowers seemed to always leave unlocked. He always told her not to do that, even though locking it really wouldn't change anything. Locks were not what stopped vampires from entering homes, no. It was the being invited in part. Vampires had to be invited in by the human who resided in the house in order to enter. After they were invited in, they could come and go as much as they pleased. Mrs. Flowers was smart enough to know not to invite anyone with an aura that matched the vampire part of Stefan, but he wanted to secure the boardinghouse. Besides, it was his only safe place in town. Stefan went straight up to his room, that resembled his old room in more ways than one. The old boardinghouse was probably the only building still standing from Stefan's era, and since Stefan was home, he wanted to feel like he was home. So he redecorated, and redid a lot of things, until it felt just right. Stefan ran his fingers through the binds of each book in his little library, skimming each title. He wasn't looking for something to read, he was just making sure everything was there. It was the weekend, which meant there was no school, and he would not see Elena. So there was nothing to _do._ And much like everyday of his never-ending life, Stefan was bored.

Damon was in a building that these humans called The Mystic Grill. He ignored the grill part, and went straight to the bar. Alcohol was the next best thing to blood, in Damon's opinion. It didn't much effect on his vampire senses or Powers, but it affected his annoying human appearance and his behavior. Damon had probably had a dozen shots, before finally a pretty lady sat beside him, ordering a martini. Damon licked his lips, but decided to wait until after she drank. Blood with alcohol in it? Damon's personal preference. He smirked to himself, and could sense that the woman was looking at him. He could hear her thoughts. _Wow, he is so handsome._ Damon wanted to respond, but knew he couldn't, without her getting suspicious. Instead, he winked at her, which sent her on a giggling rampage. Damon was aware that he was going to get annoyed by that very soon. Finally her martini came, and Damon watched her as she lifted the glass, tilting her head back, to drink the delicious contents. While she was focusing on the liquid that was going down her throat, Damon was focused on her exposed neck, where soon he would sink his teeth into and a different liquid would be going down _his_ throat. Damon grinned at this thought, and the woman set the empty glass onto the counter, and turned her body to face Damon. Damon kept the grin on his face, and he raised an eyebrow. The woman was giving into him, very fast. Quickly Damon searched through her memories, giving him something to make conversation with, to make things look less suspicious. He got a lot of interesting information. His appetite for this woman disappeared, and so did his grin. "So, you are the wife of the mayor," he stated, but repeated it to make it sound like an innocent question. Every mayor of this town knew about its chaotic history, which meant that each mayor would know of the existence about vampires and other supernatural creatures that lurk around these woods. Each mayor would know how to evict any vampire they have the knowledge of, and if the vampires refused to leave or if the vampire threatened the town at all, each mayor would know just how to kill that vampire. Damon was not threatened by this. He made sure that he would give himself a good name in this town, that was now run by imbeciles as far as he was concerned.

"Why, yes," the wife of the mayor replied. Her name was Julia Smallwood. The way she was speaking, sounded like she was purring. She must have already been drunk before she stepped into this place. Damon rolled his eyes in his mind, but in reality, his eyes were gazing at this woman as if he were her biggest fan.

"Interesting," Damon mumbled. Then he continued his thoughts. And each mayor, would have the knowledge of the vervain. Vervain is something all vampires feared. Vervain is an herb found in very specific places of the world. Vervain is believed to ward off evil things. And for once, humans were right about something. Wearing or ingesting vervain protects you from any vampire's Powers, and if a vampire were to touch or even worse, taste vervain, they were in for a _hell_ of a lot of pain. Vervain could paralyze a vampire, weaken them to the brink of death, but it did not kill them directly. The most efficient to kill a vampire was, well, a wooden stake, straight through the heart. Damon cringed just at the thought. He could sense some concern from Julia Smallwood who was just staring at him. He Influenced her to drink some more and make conversation with the bartender. Damon rested his elbows on the counter, folding his hands together. You could also kill a vampire by burning them to a crisp. Damon winced. And if a vampire should walk out in the sun, well, then they'd be burnt to a crisp right then as well. If they were old enough, that is. Young vampires would simply be weakened, and if they are out there long enough (which you would have to be simply insane to do, since being out in the sun hurt almost as much as vervain did), they can die just from too much exposure to the sun. Luckily, Damon had a ring. A special ring. It wasn't very pleasing to the eyes, but it did the job. Damon was not the only one with this special, lapis lazuli ring that had been enspelled by Emily, Katherine's servant who happened to be a very powerful witch. The ring allowed him to go out in the sun, which decreased the chances of people suspecting him to be well, what he was. He was given the ring by Katherine. Katherine had also given one to his younger brother Stefan. His fingers clenched into fists of fury, and his eyes closed as images of her undeniable beauty filled his mind. Angrily, he _shoved_ them away, and the pain that came with them, left with them too. Finally he and his mind were back in the Mystic Grill, and Julia had just finished chatting with the bartender, only because he told her to stop. Damon Influenced her to leave with him, and take a walk with him. Damon had no intention to feed on this woman, knowing the consequences of her running home to her husband, and him having wood pierced through his heart. She probably ingested vervain, or wore it. But hadn't Damon just compelled her? Damon wasn't quite sure, but he still wouldn't risk it. She probably did ingest vervain but its traces were leaving her system. Yes, that was it. During the walk, Julia informed him about her husband's deeds for the town. She knew about vampires. Damon pretended to be surprised. He pretended a lot. By the end of the night, he had earned her trust. She invited him to the next town council meeting, and Damon assured her that he would be there. He had pretended like he actually wanted to protect this town, when in reality, he wouldn't mind watching it burn until ashes were the only thing left of it. Damon walked Julia home, and she invited him in. He took a step in, just to make the best of it, but acted like he actually cared about how late it was and that it was better if he went home and got some rest. Too bad he didn't have anywhere to go. Damon figured he'd find a tree to sleep in for the night, then figure everything else out the next morning. Damon smiled devilishly to himself, and whistled an old tune that his father used to sing to him when he was a child, and strode into the woods.

_ December 14, 2009_

_ Dear Diary,_

_All I can say is...what a day. Last night, the night I couldn't sleep? Yeah, turns out Bonnie couldn't sleep either. Well, she was asleep, but she had a nightmare which sent her out of her house for some fresh air. Well, guess what? She wasn't home the next morning. Her parents called both me and Meredith, asking us if she was with us. And I worried, because she wasn't. In a heartbeat, I was over at the McCulloughs' house. We called the police and we were all just so worried. Then all of the sudden Bonnie shows up, and Meredith and I are happy as ever. Bonnie scared us! She got lost in the woods, but thank God nothing hurt her! Today was pretty crazy, but everything's alright now, for once. And I have a reason to smile now. But the one thing that's keeping me from smiling is the fact that I haven't seen Stefan since he disappeared after the whole lunch incident yesterday. I'm going to have to spend this whole weekend without any trace of him, which ought to drive me crazy. I just don't know why he acts so weird around me! Or maybe he just acts like that with everyone? But he didn't just disappear from them, like he would with me. It annoys me so much, but it just makes me want to be with him more...Maybe my luck is getting better. A girl can hope, can't she? _

_ Elena_

And so the weekend passed. Nothing else had been accomplished during the weekend. The police finally left Bonnie alone, which was good news. But Elena still missed Stefan, and now she was going to get to see him. When she arrived on Robert E. Lee grounds, she looked around for any sign of Stefan. To her disappointment, she found nothing. Elena went on with her conversation with Meredith, before noticing that Meredith's eyes were staring over her shoulder and her words were beginning to sound distant until she stopped talking altogether. "Mer? You alright?" Elena placed her hand on Meredith's shoulder, ready to shake her.

Meredith nodded, and Elena read her expression to be not dazed but like she was in shock. Elena pursed her lips, a little annoyed by whatever was distracting Meredith so much, but finally she decided to see what was just so important that Meredith had to stop their not-so important conversation. And boy, was she surprised by the view. Stefan Salvatore, wearing that same leather jacket, and from where Elena was standing, she could see that there was a crumpled up white T-shirt underneath. He was wearing dark-washed blue jeans, but as casual as his outfit was, he was wearing quite formal and fancy Italian shoes. He was even more handsome than Elena had remembered. Walking and laughing beside him was a smaller girl, petite and thin, and it took Elena one second to realize that it was _Bonnie_. Elena heard herself gasp. Stefan and Bonnie walked right past Elena and Meredith, whispering and Bonnie's signature giggle followed by a snort echoed through the corridors. And for the first time in her life, _Elena_ was jealous of _Bonnie_. Elena, who had pretty much been named queen of Robert E. Lee, was jealous. Something wasn't right with this situation. Elena ground her teeth in bitter envy, feeling utterly betrayed. Meredith was already backing away slowly and cautiously.

"I have to go to first period, Elena, and so do you," Meredith tugged Elena's arm gently, and Elena responded with a nod. Meredith sighed, and went on her way to her first class. Elena was alone in the hallway, but she could still see Bonnie and Stefan walking arm-in-arm. Okay, so they weren't walking arm-in-arm, but they might as well have been. Elena's eyebrows seemed to form a frown on her forehead, but the rest of her expression was unreadable when she entered the classroom. Everyone was there, except for Mr. Saltzman, which they had grown accustomed too. Elena did not bother to look at Bonnie, who was waving politely at her. Elena took her seat, and kept her eyes ahead of her. When Mr. Saltzman finally arrived, the rest of class dragged on. Elena mindlessly took notes about whichever war they were discussing now. After class, while Elena was gathering her things into her bag, Bonnie was standing in front of her desk, hopeful for a conversation. Elena, on the other hand, pretended to organize the things she had just now placed in her bag, waiting for an explanation.

"Ready to go?" a voice that did not belong to Bonnie asked. Elena looked up to see Bonnie's backside. Elena's eyes widened, and she looked away quickly, getting out of her seat. She hoped to exit the room avoiding confrontation with the little lovebirds.

"Elena!" Now that was Bonnie's voice. Elena hesitated before slowly turning around, just as she was about to step out of the classroom. She put on a warm, friendly smile. She didn't want to yell at Bonnie while Stefan was there, she wanted to give a good impression. Elena gracefully walked back in towards the pair, and of course, they altogether walked out of the room. _That was a waste of my time,_ Elena thought, but the smile remained on her face. Bonnie was walking between Stefan and Elena, and Elena had to admit that she wasn't enjoying that. Stefan wasn't even showing the slightest interest in her, which drove Elena crazy. But she still kept that damned smile on her face. They were walking in silence, through a rowdy hallway. Bonnie finally said something but Elena didn't hear it. She could barely hear Stefan reply.

"See you at lunch, Bonnie," Elena muttered but she didn't mean it, then quickened her pace to get away from them as fast as she could. Elena's dark hair bounced against her back as she power walked down the rest of the hall, and finally out of the school building. Wind blew her hair to the side, and she groaned. She _hated_ wind. Elena's mind was only showing her pictures of Bonnie and Stefan, and how well they were getting along. _When the hell did they become friends_? was what Elena had been wondering. Elena stormed away from Robert E. Lee and it wasn't too long until she was storming around in town. She was so focused on trying to answer her own questions, Elena didn't notice how much her feet were hurting. The wind was developing into gusts, and Elena quickly took shelter in The Mystic Grill. The Mystic Grill was where people her age constantly hung out. Underage drinking was actually not much of a crime in this town, and Elena definitely took advantage of that. "You know what I want," she yelled at the bartender, before she even took her seat at the counter. The dimly lit environment was comforting to Elena, who was in need of any kind of condolence right now. The bartender put out a bottle of whiskey, and a shot glass. Elena nodded as a sign of thanks, and in seconds she had downed four shots. Elena didn't notice that she had company until they grabbed her whiskey bottle. "Hey!" Elena snapped, taking it back quickly, glaring at the hand that had taken her only source of comfort at the moment.

"Sorry," a low voice whispered. Another lonely man? Those came almost as often as Elena and her friends. Elena rolled her eyes, and turned away, shielding her precious whiskey away from the stranger. Little did she know, the whiskey was not what she needed to protect.


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Hero

Stefan sat in math class, for what seemed like the millionth time. It had to be around there-the number of times he has sat in a classroom learning about the same thing over and over again. He didn't understand why he chose to return to school everywhere he went. He knew it made him appear like a normal seventeen year old guy, which clearly he wasn't. Stefan wasn't paying any attention and he didn't bother hiding it. If the teacher picked on him in the element of surprise, he would shoot their hopes down with the right answer. Stefan was pondering on and on about, well, Elena. Like he had all weekend. Like he had ever since the night he saved her valuable life. Her life, he realized, he valued more than his own. Stefan thought about how beautiful she looked today, her hair that matched the color of Katherine's, was tied low on the side. Elena's hair was straight, which was one difference that Stefan could mark down. Katherine's had been naturally curly. Then Stefan thought about _Elena_'s thoughts. He could sense her anger, and even her jealousy. He could read that she was mad at Bonnie, and it was because of him. Stefan was guilty and didn't want to cause any trouble between the two best friends, but he knew it was too late for that. But Stefan couldn't do anything about that now. There were certain things that Elena just could not know, and he knew Bonnie understood that. He thought about Bonnie and their sprouting friendship. Today she reassured him that his secret was safe with her, and he truly trusted the girl. She also shared with him news that her grandmother whom she called _Grams,_ had come to visit her after hearing about Bonnie getting lost in the woods. He smiled at the care that came along with family. Then he was reminded of his own family, realizing that he had none. Math class came to an end, and then it was lunch time. He had heard Elena say to Bonnie that she would meet her there, but Stefan knew that was not the truth. Elena had other things on her mind, but she left too quick for Stefan to read them. He could feel Bonnie's growing pain then, and he gave her a gentle hug. Perhaps he was asking too much of Bonnie. Stefan made up his mind as he walked out into the courtyard. Instead of joining the rest of his schoolmates for lunch, he left campus and found his car in the student parking lot. Stefan then began driving towards town, and couldn't help but notice another storm coming on.

Elena had probably shot over a dozen glasses of whiskey, and she was giggling like a wreck. From her view, the room was spinning, and so was she. She finally decided to share her bottle with the young man who was sitting beside her. He had handsome-ish features, and he wasn't too old. He was probably in his early 20's, and he smiled like he had a secret, or even a scheme. Elena knew that kind of smile, she saw it on Caroline's face so many times. Elena grinned goofily, and began running her fingers through his dark hair, teasing him in ways she wasn't aware of. She wasn't the one controlling herself anymore. The guy, who told her his name was Mike, had led her out of The Mystic Grill. She stumbled as she walked, and she was throwing her arms up into the air like she was at a wild party. There was no one but her and Mike around. Elena followed Mike to wherever he was bringing her. She didn't know why she was following, but it was like someone was telling her to do whatever he told her to. Elena smiled, now dancing as she staggered along the sidewalk. "Wheeeerree aaare weeeee goi-_hic!_-iiing?" Elena's voice sounded way too loud, even to her. Mike said nothing, until they were in the Old Wood. Elena hated this place with a passion but right now the hatred was leaving her system. Her personal opinions were fading and the only thing in her mind was to continue following Mike.

"I want to show you something," Mike said to Elena. He was too loud too. Elena giggled and gave him a thumbs up, as she dropped onto the ground. She had been on these grounds before, but again she couldn't remember when. In her mind, she could hear Mike's voice telling her not to be afraid. She wasn't even afraid in the first place, why was he saying that! What a silly guy! Elena laughed in her mind, and she gazed up at Mike like he were some sort of Greek adonis.

"Show meeee!" Elena squeaked. Mike stepped closer and closer to her, and crouched down to her level. Elena gasped as his eyes that she had remembered to be brown, were replaced with a menacing red. Then Elena realized that he was _snarling_, and his breath stunk! Elena was disgusting by him. He was no longer handsome. Elena didn't want to be here with him anymore. She wanted to go home. "Don't show me anymore, Mike, I wanna go ho-_hic!_-ome," Elena begged, her voice truly sounded like it had ten years ago when she was a little girl. Mike wasn't listening to her. Elena could feel Mike's fingers wrapping around her slender neck, and Elena realized that she was now crying. "Please stop it, I don't wannaaa!" And the last sound that came out of Elena's mouth was a shrill scream that could be heard miles away, as Mike's teeth, no _fangs,_ were closing in on her and Elena couldn't even think of _how_ to run away.

Damon had just woken up from his sleep, and he jumped down from the branch that he had awaken on. He rushed to the river, to clean up a little before heading to town. At first, the weather was partly cloudy and Damon figured he should add a little more clouds to the sky. He ended up adding a lot. He also added more wind. Controlling the weather was one of his many favorite things about being a vampire. With his significantly strong vampire senses, he could hear everything going on within a thirty mile radius. He listened for any prey, any human who happened to be taking a stroll through the Old Wood. And once he heard the laughter of a girl, he sped over to the source of the sound. In a heartbeat, he laid his eyes on his target and he was nearly knocked over by the wind he had made himself. _Katherine!_ But how? No! She was being attacked! Damon suddenly felt stupid for blocking out the sunlight, he made it so much easier now for any vampire to come and take what they wanted. He would not allow that, this was his turf now, as long as he was here. He went through those thoughts in a split second, and he was now focused on saving Katherine from this stupid, inexperienced vampire who obviously did not know it wasn't very nice to attack fellow vampires. In a blink of an eye, Damon had tackled the other vampire onto the damp ground of the Old Wood, and beat him mercilessly. Damon's timing couldn't have been more perfect, since this idiot's dull fangs were barely an inch away from Katherine's neck. Damon finally let the vampire, who called himself Mike, run off. But he didn't let Mike go without a warning, and with a threat like that, Damon knew that Mike would never show his face in Mystic Falls again. Once Mike was out of sight, Damon quickly turned and Katherine was laying on the ground, shaking and hiding her face from the world. Something isn't right with this picture, Damon thought. Carefully, and ever so tenderly, did Damon pick up Katherine's trembling body and he held her like a newborn baby. "Oh, Katherine," he sighed, cradling her. He did not question her; it was against his morals to constantly interrogate someone. Instead he just held her, closed his eyes, and began to read her thoughts. And then Damon gasped, realizing that it was a _human_ that he held in his arms. A human_,_ whose name was Elena Gilbert, _who was not Katherine_. Even though he already knew, Damon yelled. "Who are you?"

The human girl who looked exactly like Katherine, was rubbing her head, and Damon realized that he had dropped her. He quickly helped her to her feet, and her eyes were fluttering. She was a clumsy one, but Damon quickly realized that she had been drinking. Did all the girls in this town drink alcohol for a living? Damon shook his head, and repeated his question with more emphasis. "_Who are you?_"

The girl, that he just could not call by her own name, could barely stand straight, but she finally answered. "I'm not Katherine...I'm Elena. Who are y-you?" Her speech was still quite slurred, and he didn't blame her after what she just witnessed.

Damon shook his head, "No, no, that does not matter."

"I'd like to know who you are. You saved-you saved me, I owe you my life."

Damon almost liked the sound of that, but he looked away from her. He couldn't quite believe this yet. But he told her his name. First name only, of course. There was no way he was going to risk letting his full name spread to town, then people would get curious about his family's history, and then it would probably lead to the discovery that two members of the Salvatore family never quite became _history_. They were still walking the earth, almost two centuries after their births. Immediately, Damon remembered to Influence Katherine's doppleganger to forget what she just experienced with that shame to all vampires, Mike. After he finished, their conversation continued from where it left off. But she forgot that he saved her from a vampire, instead he saved her from falling into the river that ran not too far from here. It was the perfect lie.

"Thank you so much, Damon," she said, before throwing her arms around him. Damon offered to take her home, and he looked into her mind to find the way to her house before she even accepted.

Elena was following Damon to his car, which was a flashy yellow Ferrari. She was quite impressed, and she slid into the passenger seat, careful not to soil anything. She was grateful for Damon who she had met maybe ten minutes ago. Damon had explained everything to her, because she didn't remember it well since she had apparently been drinking. Because she had been drinking, she had stumbled into the woods, and clumsy as she was, the wind nearly blew her into the river. Luckily, Damon was there to save her. Elena was okay now, and the influence of whiskey was just starting to leave her system as if she never drank at all. Elena smiled graciously at Damon, who for some reason, didn't smile back. Elena's smile turned into a slight frown, and then Damon finally began driving. He drove faster than Elena was used to, but she let it slide. Elena was not sure of what to say now. She could thank him again, but she didn't want to annoy him. Instead she studied him. His features reminded her of someone she already knew, and his eyes were a crystal kind of blue. His eyes were in a slight squint, that reminded her of the way Robert Pattinson stared at Kristen Stewart in the movie Twilight. Elena folded her hands on her lap, and looked out of the window, watching rows of trees pass by in blurs, and quietly gushed to herself about how strikingly handsome Damon was. He had to be the most handsome guy she ever saw. Wait. She sat up, leaning away from the car window. Hadn't she said that before? _Stefan_. Suddenly, Damon twitched in his seat, which caused the car to go haywire. _Not again_...Damon whipped his head in Elena's direction, and he just _glared_ at her, with such rage in his eyes. He was scaring her. There was a twisted, menacing look on his face, and Elena immediately felt like jumping out of the car. But she didn't need to. The car suddenly stopped, and Elena screamed when she saw another car that was facing theirs, but it was just so close to them. If Damon hadn't stopped, they would have collided. Elena realized she how heavily she was breathing, but she couldn't catch her breath just yet. Damon was staring at something else now. It was the car in front of them. Elena followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on someone that made her heart stop. _Stefan!_


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking Tension

Stefan had been driving along the pavement, just waiting for any sign of Elena. If he had been praying, then his prayers were answered. When the siren of Elena's scream sounded in his ears, he floored it. He could hear her pleads of familiar words, and the panic grew inside Stefan. He was approaching the Old Wood, an area of the Mystic Falls forest, an area that was around even when he was a young boy. Stefan tried to drive faster, but there was no way he could, or else he'd break the speed meter. As the tires rolled down the road, Stefan was using his incredible vampire sight, trying to find Elena's small body in the herd of tall trees. He couldn't find her, and knowing that she could be in grave danger, considering this town's history, well this just drove Stefan mad. He had to get her, he had to bring her to safety. Stefan's eyes noticed another car going his way, on the one-way road. Stefan almost gasped, but before his body made any other function, the tires of both cars screeched to a stop. Panting, Stefan slowly stepped out of the car, brushing his clothes off even though he didn't need to. He had to check if the humans in the car were alright. But he had to make it quick. Elena needed him. Oh, Elena, where are you? And as the passenger in the car rolled down their window, his question was answered.

"Elena!" the relief was obvious in his voice. But then his eyes landed on the person sitting in the driver's seat, and his body was overcome with a wretched surge of pure anger. _Damon_. Stefan snarled, his fingers digging into his palms as soon as they curled into fists. Damon whipped his head in Stefan's direction, giving him one of those wicked smiles, as his eyes widened for the slightest second, then returned to a squint.

"Hello, brother," Damon's voice serene and smooth, as if they actually saw each other in the past century. Stefan's blue-green eyes were beginning to transition into just a reddish-golden color, and Stefan turned away so Elena couldn't see him. Not like this. Nets of veins were forming around his eyes, that were now lined with a sickly scarlet color. Stefan stood with his back turned to Elena and Damon, which he still could not fathom why, or how, they were together in one car, in this place, during this time.

For Elena's sake, Stefan spoke to Damon through his thoughts.

_What are you doing here?_ Stefan growled.

_I told you never to ask a person that, _Damon scolded. Stefan could feel the smugness even if it was only a thought.

_Your brotherly advice would mean something if you were actually my brother. _Stefan was even snarling in his thoughts. His anger was obvious in the tension of his posture, and his skin of his palms would break soon because of the amount of pressure his fingers were piercing against them.

_Now, now, Stefan, I will always be your brother whether you accept it or not. Do you think I enjoy being your brother? I sure as hell do not. We have disowned each other in many more ways than one, yet here we are, as brothers. Doesn't that just irritate you? _Damon knew how to get into Stefan's core, and beat it until it burst. But Stefan would not let Damon win. He could not. Quickly, he focused on Elena's thoughts. She was confused, she felt awkward. She wanted to go home. Stefan wanted so badly to take her home.

_Oh, don't worry about that, brother. I'll take this beautiful young lady home, you can go on and hunt for, what's the special today? Rabbits?_ Stefan could see Damon's smirk already. _Her name is Elena, right? She's a dead ringer for Katherine, don't you agree? _Stefan could feel Damon's mocking smirk growing. Their "conversation" only lasted about ten seconds at the most. All at once, Stefan pulled himself out of Damon, Elena, and his own thoughts. He whirled around towards his arrogant brother whom he hated with everything in him, and Elena who was not Katherine. Stefan was right, Damon was smirking, but he was staring at something in the distance, as if Elena was not in the car. Elena was uncomfortably fumbling with her seatbelt. Stefan, whose face was back to normal, pointed a threatening finger at Damon and thought, _Stay away from her._ His eyes, now showing off a deep green, were stern and severe. Damon turned his head slowly, to look at Stefan. Stefan expected some sort of nod, but instead Damon just had to wink. Stefan grimaced. Damon turned and touched the smooth skin of Elena's arm. He must have known that would bother Stefan, and it worked.

"Turns out, little old Stefan is going to take you home," Damon told Elena. Stefan opened the car door for Elena, as she unfastened her seatbelt. Then Elena did something that made Stefan feel like someone had shot him with twelve thousand wooden bullets. Elena had leaned in towards Damon, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Stefan's anger clouded his mind, and without a second glance, he stomped back towards his own car. He got into the driver's seat, slammed the door and just waited until Elena was beside him. Where she _should_ be. What had Damon done to her? Stefan was scared. No, he was terrified. Damon's return was going to endanger Mystic Falls, and Stefan now made a silent vow that he would do anything, he would risk anything for the sake of Elena. Elena, who was now seated in his passenger seat, in his car. Where he knew she would be safe, as long as he was watching her. Stefan shot one more threat towards Damon, who was already driving away. Stefan started his car, keeping his eyes straight ahead, as he made a quick U-Turn and drove back into town.

After what Elena just experienced, all she wanted to do was go home. Damon was Stefan's brother? And why wouldn't Stefan talk to Damon? When was the last time they did talk? Elena's questions were taking up all the space in her mind, but alas, she took a deep breath to cleanse her thoughts of everything Salvatore. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Especially if there was a Salvatore sitting right beside you, so close that your elbows were almost touching. Elena stared at the road in front of them, watching as the town she called home was beginning to appear closer. Suddenly, a voice filled the cramped up atmosphere in the car, and Elena realized it was Stefan's.

"Did he hurt you." His question sounded more like a statement, but Elena answered with a shake of her head.

"No, not at all..why?" Elena asked curiously. Why would Stefan ask such a thing? Damon had saved her life, something no one has ever done for her.

Stefan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and Elena could see his knuckles now. Why was he so angry? Why did he hate Damon so much? Yes, it was clear that he hated his brother, and Elena saw that before Damon had greeted him. The rest of the drive was silent, except for their breathing. When they reached her home, which she had no idea how Stefan knew where it was, Stefan got out of the car to open the car door for her. Still, he said nothing as she got out and thanked him. And no words left his mouth as he walked her up the steps of her front porch and to the door. He still had that same scorn in his eyes. They were facing each other, and she was looking at him with hopeful eyes, but he just stared right over her shoulder. She didn't understand why it had to be so tense between them, but he hit it off so well with Bonnie. Then the anger built up inside her yet again, and without knowing it, she touched Stefan, her fingers right beneath his cheekbone. It didn't seem like it affected him at all. Elena wanted to scream as Stefan stepped away from her. He was beginning to turn to walk back down the steps, go back in his car, and speed away in his fancy little BMW. Elena could see it play over in her mind, but he was still just turning. Elena grabbed him by the arm, and made him face her again. She didn't know where it came from, but she erupted. She erupted right there, in front of Stefan, on her front porch, in the front of her house, and everything was just right in front of her. She exploded.

"What's your problem Stefan? Ever since we met, you've been running away from me like I'm infected with some sort of fatal disease! You can't judge me when you don't even know me! I don't care how handsome you are, you still have no right to treat me like this! I appreciate that you took me home and everything, but God, here you are, doing this again! You were just about to disappear again, weren't you? Well, you know what, Stefan Salvatore? You can disappear all you want, but you never leave my mind! What are you trying to do here? And oh, God, Bonnie! What is that! You seem to get along quite well! You seem to get along with everyone but me! You haven't even given me a damn chance!"

Stefan just stood there, his face showing no expression. Elena was breathing hard after her speech, and buds of tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Still, no sign of any type of reaction from Stefan. The longer the silence lingered, the further an invisible needle pierced into her heart.

"So you're just going to stand there! Say nothing, do nothing, and just _stand there_! That's great, Stefan, you know what..I-I give up, you win! I don't want to play this little game you're playing! The first thing you ask me is if my name is Elena, and if I go by any other name, which I have to admit threw me off, but the way you are, it just makes me want to know you," Elena confessed, "but for some reason, you don't want to know me. And Damon, he's your brother? Does Bonnie know that? I'll bet she does, since you two are such good friends now. Wait a minute, was she with you that night she didn't come home? Oh my God!"

Elena's insides were bursting at this coming realization. It was all making sense now. This time Elena actually screamed, which must have made her seem overdramatic, but she was overflowing with anger, jealousy, confusion and just _sadness_. She was backing away from Stefan unconsciously, because she didn't want him to see her crying, but it was too late. The tears were streaming from her eyes, and she was trembling helplessly. Stefan wanted Bonnie. Not her. This was the first time anything like this had ever happened to Elena, and she wasn't going to take it easy. But Stefan still hadn't said a damn word, which caused Elena to yell even more, through her tears.

"Damn you, Stefan Salvatore! Ever since you showed up, I've become a wreck, and I hate what you've done to me! I wish Damon had let me fall into that damned river, and let me drown, and just let me die so I can be with my parents, and not here with you! Yeah, Stefan, Damon saved me! He didn't hurt me! Why would he? Unlike you, who seems to find pleasure, pleasure through, my, my pain, I just-" Elena's voice was shaking, much like herself, and her vision was becoming blurred with tears.

Suddenly, Elena's body was wrapped in strong arms, in which she felt strangely secure in. A hand was running along her back, in soothing motions, and even though the weather had been freezing, she was warm.

"Elena Gilbert, if your life was ever taken from you, I, Stefan Salvatore, would be devastated. You do not know my intentions, so please, don't assume I am here to hurt you. That is the last thing I want, do you understand? You have to excuse my behavior, Damon and I have a rough past that has found its way to our present, and will remain in our futures. He is my brother, and if he truly did help you, then I am sorry I questioned his values. But you must understand that you will be safer, if you stay away from him," Stefan spoke, his voice just as soothing as the hand that was rubbing her back.

"Since when do you, care about my safety?" Elena had to ask, even while her head fell onto Stefan's sturdy shoulder.

"Always. Now, let me continue," Stefan said, with no sign of bitterness in his voice. "Bonnie and I, yes, we are friends now. Yes, I was with her during that night. I found her..in the woods," Stefan paused. His hand had stopped moving, but the comfort stayed. "I helped her, and she spent the night at the boardinghouse, where I stay under the care of Mrs. Flowers. I suppose she's just grateful for what I did for her, and since then, yes, we've gotten closer. As friends. I wouldn't forget the only reason I came ba-, came to Mystic Falls. You, Elena Gilbert, you."

Elena shivered, and she felt Stefan's hold on her tighten. Her lips curved into a slight smile. His words were registering into her mind, and when they did, the tears began to flow even heavier. Stefan pulled away just enough to wipe her tears away, and he brought her closer to him once again. He cared about her. All this time. Despite herself, Elena's smile grew. She could stay in Stefan's arms forever.

Damon didn't know where he was driving off to, but he had to make a dramatic exit. He sped off, driving his car straight into the woods, probably running over some forest animals. _Oh well,_ Damon smirked. _Less work for Stefan._ Damon chuckled to himself, brushing his dark brown hair back with one hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel. His thoughts were consumed with the girl with Katherine's looks. Elena, he had to get used to calling her that. Why did this human girl look so much like Katherine? It was beyond Damon's comprehension, but he was determined to spend a lot of time with this Elena girl. She caught his genuine interest. Damon had a lot of beautiful girls in his lifetime, but none of them ever matched up to Katherine's beauty. And now Katherine's beauty was duplicated, and Damon was going to make the best of it. With Katherine dead, he now had the perfect substitute. Damon was now out of the car, that had of course, ran out of gas. He didn't need a car anyway, he was faster than any automobile these dimwit humans could invent. The Elena girl's aura made it clear that she was no Katherine, which Damon had to admit, was a disappointment. Elena had an innocent little heart, that was filled with good intentions. Damon could see that she had a lot of potential, but he couldn't quite place a finger on what she could do. But he made it a goal to find out. And now his thoughts stumbled upon Stefan. Moments ago, Damon had his first encounter with Stefan in over a century. Stefan and Damon parted ways just days after they Changed. A lot of fury, and pure hatred was involved. Damon never like recalling that memory. Instead he pushed it away. As a vampire, you could push unwanted emotions, memories, and thoughts away. Damon appreciated that Power very much, and used it often. Damon looked around, thinking that he had heard some sort of movement. Then he looked up, seeing the sky he had created. He willed the clouds to slowly part, to give Mystic Falls some sunlight. That should ward off some unwanted vampires. At least the ones that were not here already. Damon now raced back into town, in hopes of finding a meal to restore his energy. He also kept in mind that he would have to find a place to stay. Perhaps Stefan would take him under his wing? Damon snickered at the ridiculousness of just that thought. Stefan would rather take in a wooden stake before he ever let Damon back into his life. Damon's eyebrows lifted as he visualized Stefan being stabbed with a wooden stake. He snickered again. If there was one promise that Damon was going to keep, it was the one he had made to Stefan on the last day they saw each other-aside from today. He had promised a life of misery. In fact, he gave Stefan his word. Damon never backed down from his word.


	7. Chapter 7: The Uninvited Guest

When Stefan finally released Elena, they stared at each other in a way lovers should. Elena wondered if that's what they were now. Elena wondered if what she was feeling now, this indescribable feeling that was shooting through every vein in her body, was love. Elena had been with many, many guys before and not one of them were able to make her feel the way Stefan did. Not to mention, she had only met him three days ago. Stefan just had this powerful impact on her, Elena didn't know how to control herself around him. Elena reached into her pockets, unlocking the front door of her house, taking one step inside. She could hear Stefan's footsteps begin to descend down the porch steps, but before he got too far, she called him back. "Stefan," her voice somehow sounded shaken. She was shaken by how strong her feelings were for Stefan, who she could still call a stranger. He turned around and looked at her.

She motioned for him to come inside. Stefan was walking towards her, then stopped right at the doorway. Puzzled, Elena stepped aside and pointed a thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the interior of her house. Stefan just stared at where her thumb was pointing, but he wouldn't come inside. Elena tilted her head, as her arm fell back to her side. Finally, she asked, "Would you like to come in, Stefan?"

"Yeah, yeah I would, thank you." A smile spread across Stefan's perfect face, and he took a cautious step into Elena's house. Elena shut the door behind him, locking it, and led Stefan into the kitchen. Stefan was studying the establishment that Elena called home. "You have a beautiful house."

Elena smiled at his compliment, and once they reached the kitchen, she turned to face him. "My Aunt Jenna would love to hear that, but I don't think she's home right now. This isn't really my house, it's hers," Elena sighed, preparing her usual speech about the accident that killed her parents, and nearly killed her. But Stefan just nodded, not asking anything, just...a nod. Elena pursed her lips, and walked towards the refrigerator. "Do you want something to eat?"

Stefan responded with a quick shake of his head, "No, no, I'm not hungry, but thank you." Then Stefan took a seat at the dining table, that seated four, but there were only three people living in this house. Elena thought he looked good, seated at the dining table. Automatically, Elena imagined having him over for dinner, introducing him to Aunt Jenna and her younger brother, Jeremy. Elena got out a few strawberries and a spray can of whipped cream for herself, kicking the refrigerator door shut before joining Stefan at the small circular table. Elena sat across from him, as she began coating one strawberry with whipped cream. She could feel Stefan staring at her, and she smiled childishly. Usually being stared at was uncomfortable, but when Stefan stared at her, she felt special.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Elena asked, before sucking the whipped cream off the strawberry, then taking a bite. Stefan watched, and a small smile appeared on his face as he turned down her offer yet again. "Suit yourself," she said, in the midst of chewing. This caused Stefan to chuckle, and Elena immediately knew that she'd soon come to love that sound. Elena got up to get a knife, to cut off the tops of the strawberries that contained the leaves. When Elena returned to the table, Stefan was staring at the knife instead of her. For a moment, she wondered why, but then shrugged it off.

"Be careful," Stefan said, a voice so low that it could have been called a whisper. Elena looked at him with eyes that said "I-know-what-I'm-doing." Stefan surely hoped that was true. Elena smiled at him. It was clear that she appreciated the fact that he cared about her. And oh, did Stefan care about her. He loved the girl, yes, he admitted it. He loved how stubborn she could be sometimes, and how outspoken she was. He loved that underneath the wall she had spent so long building up, she was slowly shattering. Stefan made it one of his top priorities to heal her, in any way he could. He watched as Elena chopped off the tops of the small strawberries, and he tensed up anytime the knife appeared to be too close to her fingertip. She would give him a look that told him to calm down, and he would give her a nervous chuckle. Once Elena was done with cutting and eating all her strawberries, they decided to settle down and watch a movie. Ironically, Elena chose that Twilight movie that Stefan thought made vampires look really, really pathetic. But nevertheless, he respected it. They sat on either end of Elena's couch, and while Elena watched the movie, Stefan watched her. He watched her chest rise as she inhaled, and fall as she exhaled. He could hear her steady heartbeat, which was like his favorite song. He wanted so badly, to kiss her tender, pink lips. But he knew that she considered him to be, well, merely an acquaintance. But Stefan knew how he felt, but he could tell that Elena wasn't so sure. Elena turned her head, looking at him, with a smile that took his breath away. She was so beautiful, a different kind of beautiful that Katherine had been. Katherine's beauty was racy and dangerous. Elena's was more elegant, and majestic. Stefan knew it was wrong to compare Elena to Katherine. They were different on so many levels, and Stefan realized that now. For one thing, Elena was human. Not a monster like himself. Stefan was more than relieved about that. He would never wish this kind of life upon anyone, especially Elena. He forgot why he wanted this life at all in the first place. Instead he was lost in the eyes of the incredibly beautiful girl, just a few inches away from him. Elena, as if she knew what Stefan was thinking, slowly scooted closer and closer until their shoulders touched. Stefan kept his eyes on hers, and in a moment, their fingers were intertwined, and her hand was in his. There was something significant about this hand-holding gesture, that sent a spark through Stefan's otherwise lifeless body. It wasn't long until the both of them noticed that their hands fit ever so perfectly. Like their bodies were two wholes of a puzzle, and they finally found the missing piece. Stefan wasn't the only one who felt the spark, because he could see Elena's eyes seem to glow with wonder. Stefan smiled, and for the first time in a long time, it was real.

After Stefan left to go home, Elena was all smiles. She felt like she was on Cloud 9, and she couldn't feel the ground as she walked up the stairs and into her room. Stefan was literally the only thing on her mind, and he was overcoming her body and the strange thing about that was Elena didn't mind. Elena knew her life was about to change, but she really had no idea how much it would. Elena glided into the bathroom that she shared with her younger brother Jeremy. She was too consumed by her thoughts of Stefan, she didn't realize that Jeremy wasn't home yet. Neither was Aunt Jenna. Elena looked at herself in the mirror, noticing a change in herself. She was happy. For the first time since the accident, she was genuinely happy. After Elena brushed her teeth, she walked back into her bedroom, and was startled by who was seated on the edge of her bed.

"Hello, Elena," Damon said in the same tone he used with Stefan earlier. Elena remembered Stefan telling her to keep away from Damon, which made the fear inside her grow stronger. She was suddenly very cautious of every move she made, and every word she would say. Instead of returning his hello, Elena stayed still. Damon just stared at her, in a different way that Stefan stared at her. Damon's eyes gave off the impression of hunger. The fear continued to grow, and Elena was fighting the urge to run away. But she kept her head held high, and stared back at Damon. Elena was now realizing the similarities in Damon and Stefan's features, and there was now no way to deny that the two were brothers, even if their personalities were so diverse. "Hmm, I see Stefan gotten to you. What did he say about me? Did he tell you to stay away from me? Did he tell you about our broken brotherhood?" Damon's voice had such a mocking tone to it, and his eyes would widen when he raised his eyebrows in the middle of his sentences. Elena continued to stare, contemplating what would be the right thing to say. Nothing came out of her mouth. And so Damon continued, adjusting himself on the bed. "Well, I didn't come here to interview you."

"How did you get in here anyway?" Elena asked bitterly, her voice a little hoarse from the dryness in her throat that formed. Damon laughed, clearly at her. Elena's body stiffened, as she leaned against the closed bathroom door.

"Your brother Jeremy was kind enough to invite me in, after a little prompting," Damon answered, laying himself down on the mattress. Elena fought the urge to shove him off her bed, but she didn't want to touch him.

"Jeremy isn't even home," Elena's voice was filled with scorn. Damon shook his head, and pointed towards Elena's open bedroom door. Elena raised one eyebrow, and her eyes landed to where Damon was pointing. Jeremy was walking past her bedroom, probably on the way to his own. Elena looked back over at Damon, who was now getting comfortable on Elena's bed. She glared at him for a moment. "Don't make yourself at home," she said through her teeth, then left her bedroom to catch up with Jeremy. Leaving Damon in her room was probably not a good idea, but she had to confront Jeremy and ask how him how he could possibly let a stranger into their house. Then Elena stopped herself. She had let Stefan into their house, and she had barely known him. But this was different. Stefan was different from Damon. Jeremy came out of his room, already in his usual white shirt and plaid pajama pants. "Jeremy," Elena said, her voice still stressed from her encounter with Damon. Jeremy took a moment to turn around, and Elena suddenly felt all her fear wash away, and sisterly anger took over. "Jeremy! Oh my God, don't tell me you're stoned!" Elena stepped closer to her brother, and grabbed his face, glaring into his eyes that were dilated abnormally. All signs of drug intake were there. "Jeremy, are you kidding me?" she yelled, forgetting about their new house guest who was now watching them in the corner of the hallway. She whipped her head around to his direction, "Get out of here Damon!"

Damon was laughing again. Elena heard herself make a sound that was similar to a growl, and she let go of Jeremy. "We're going to talk about this tomorrow morning, understand? Now go to bed," she scolded. He just gave her a confused look, and he rolled his eyes before going back into his room, slamming the door behind him. The slam made Elena's body shake, and then she shut her eyes._ This is way too much to handle for one night_, Elena thought. Elena turned around, opening her eyes and nearly screaming at the sight of Damon's face, inches away from hers. "Damon, stop it, Stefan told you to stay away from me, and I need to stay away from you."

"That's the kind of thanks I get for saving your life?" Damon's voice almost sounded offended. Elena almost forgot about that. Damon had rescued her from a certain death, but she couldn't remember anything he claimed happened. As far as she knew, Damon was probably the one who hurt her and then helped her to make sure he looked good. Elena shot him a scowl, then pushed past him and slammed the door behind her as she entered her room. She screamed when Damon was in front of her yet again.

"How did-why are you-stop that!" Elena screamed. Damon laughed again, and under all the stress Elena was in, she slapped him. Damon stopped laughing, and just stared at her with those starving, black-on-black eyes of his. Damon smiled at her, a twisted kind of smile that lasted barely a second, and then his eyes began to appear...gentle.

"I'm sorry," Damon frowned. "I suppose I should explain why I'm here in the first place, before your head explodes." Elena nodded slowly, walking past him again, and sat on her bed before Damon could. She waved her hand to tell him he could continue. And so he did. "I just came into town, and since Stefan hates my guts, I need a place to stay. Last night I slept in the woods, and that place is dangerous, who knows what could be lurking in there?" Damon's lips curved into a smirk, that disappeared before any human eye could catch it. "And since you pretty much owe me, I was wondering if I could stay here, for now, just until I find a more permanent home?"

Elena blinked. "Damon, I don't think that's a very good idea," Elena said in a hoarse whisper, timidly fiddling with her thumbs. Suddenly there was weight on the other edge of the bed, and Elena nearly jumped. "I mean, it's not my decision, it's my Aunt Jenna. I don't think she'd enjoy having a stranger staying here. We don't run a hotel. Speaking of hotels, why don't you just stay in one of th-?"

"There are no hotels in Mystic Falls," Damon said before Elena could even finish. Elena nodded once, knowing he was right. She wouldn't turn her head to look at him, instead she stared ahead at her now closed bedroom door. "Is your Aunt Jenna home?"

Elena shrugged, paused, then shook her head. She cautiously stood and walked over to her door, and opened it. "So, I think you should go," Elena said to Damon, before turning to exit her room, finding herself face-to-face with Aunt Jenna.

"Oh, hey Elena!" Aunt Jenna said, smiling brightly. Elena was breathing abnormally fast, and it only got worse when Damon let himself into the conversation. Somehow, he made his way from Elena's bed to the door soundlessly. As he leaned against Elena's door frame, he was smiling almost as brightly as Aunt Jenna. As soon as Aunt Jenna laid eyes on Damon, she gasped. Elena's face flushed and she avoided eye contact with both her aunt and Damon as she introduced them both to each other. "Well, it's very nice to meet you Damon. I'm sorry, but can I ask why you're in my niece's bedroom? Or why you're in my house, for the matter?" Aunt Jenna asked with a protective type of tone. Before Damon could say anything, Elena explained about how Damon had saved her from nearly falling into the river, and how Damon was Stefan's brother, briefly explained who Stefan was, and finished off with how Damon wanted to temporarily stay at their house. Damon had somehow kept that smile on his face the entire time, which Elena's eyes couldn't help but glance at. Again and again. Aunt Jenna and Damon stared at each other for a while, and Elena was silently praying that Aunt Jenna would take charge and offer to bring him to an inn or something. To Elena's disappointment, Aunt Jenna did the exact opposite. "Of course, of course! You are welcome to stay here, Damon! After all, you saved Elena from falling into the river, and we all know she's not a very good swimmer. I'm afraid we don't have a guest room, though, but we'll work something out!"

Elena felt some sort of rage building up inside her, but she didn't want to go off on Aunt Jenna, the mother figure in her life. Elena didn't bother to look at Damon, not even his intoxicating smile, and stomped back into her room. She plopped onto her bed, and groaned. She made a silent apology to Stefan, and screamed when someone's hand began rubbing her back. She whipped her head around, and to her relief, it was only Aunt Jenna. "Damon can't stay here, Aunt Jenna, he just can't," Elena whined. Aunt Jenna gave her a stern look, similar to the kind Elena had given to Jeremy moments ago.

"Elena, come on, the guy saved your life, we need to show him some kind of gratitude. It's only temporary. I told him he can sleep on the couch downstairs, and I believe he's down there now. Ease up, Elena." Elena took the last three words and tried to process them, and when Aunt Jenna left, she sat up began doing some deep breathing. _In..1..2...3..Out..1..2.._

"You know, meditation never really works if you're just breathing," a different voice said. Elena nearly screamed at the sight of Damon, leaning against her door frame yet again.

"You're supposed to be downstairs!" Elena whisper-yelled, not wanting to disturb her loved ones. Damon simply shrugged, flashing Elena another devilish smile. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Do you really think that's going to work?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with imitated innocence.

"The whole smiling like a bad boy thing, it's actually kind of creepy. Like, really, really creepy. And showing up out of nowhere? I mean, how do you even do that? You're a very intimidating person, Damon, and I'm starting to think Stefan has the right judgment about you," Elena spoke with no sign of being affected by Damon's presence. Damon wasn't used to this. Most girls went weak at the knees, and found it hard to speak around him. Their thoughts would automatically be filled with visions of him, doing whatever it was they fantasized most. But Elena, she was different. It made Damon frustrated, but he wouldn't dare show it. As far as Damon could see, Elena's thoughts were engrossed with his brother. Damon did appear in her mind, but not in the ways he wanted to appear. He enjoyed that he scared Elena, but he didn't realize that in a way, he disgusted her. Damon never quite cared what others thought of him, but that was only because he never had to. People either loved or hated Damon. But to be disgusting to someone? That was very new to Damon. And he did not like it. Elena was going on about Stefan's warnings about Damon, but he had tuned her out. He just kept that same smile on his face, but all his real emotions were hidden in his mind.

"Elena, all of Stefan's words and opinions aside, I am who I am, and you do not know who I am just yet. So quit pretending like you do, just because Stefan said a few words to you. Stefan and I haven't seen each other for over a h-for a really long time, I don't think he knows me very well anymore either," Damon spoke calmly, his eyes staring right into Elena's, even if her eyes were staring elsewhere.

"Well, everyone deserves a chance. And since you're now my house guest, I guess I should show you respect. But it's late, and I'd like to sleep, and I'm sure you do too. The couch is downstairs, though, and if you get lost, just find the living room. It'll be right there. Good night, Damon." Elena said as she tucked herself in, reaching over to turn her lamp off. Now the room was pitch black, except for streaks of streetlights that found their way through the blinds of Elena's window. "Close the door as you leave, please." Damon did. And after a moment, he was in the living room. How ironic, Damon thought, a vampire staying in the living room. Damon laughed silently, and laid himself on the couch that was rather lumpy. Damon told himself to get used to it. A lumpy couch was a small price to pay in order to get to know the girl who was causing him some sort of mental insanity. Kath-no, not even close. The girl was Elena Gilbert, and Damon would no longer mistake her for Katherine. Never again. Elena Gilbert may look like Katherine, sound like Katherine, but she was not Katherine. Not even close. And Damon found himself relieved by that.


	8. Chapter 8: More Than a Morning

Stefan woke up to find a figure of a girl seated at the edge of his bed. He sat up immediately, rubbing his eyes, mumbling, "Elena?" The girl turned around as he dropped his hands. "Oh, Bonnie, it's you. Wait, Bonnie, what's wrong?" Stefan noticed clear teardrops falling from Bonnie's eyes, and his forehead creased with concern.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just.." Bonnie whispered, unable to speak well quite yet. Stefan waited patiently, rubbing his shoulder through the sleeve of his gray T-shirt. "Grams told me something last night, and she helped me discover something about myself that I never knew," Bonnie added, her voice a bit more clearer, "and it just came to me as a surprise. It's kind of incredible, and when I say that, I mean you're really not going to believe it. I mean, I thought things like this didn't really exist, but then somehow I met a vampire, and now I'm starting to accept the extraordinary."

Stefan chuckled slightly at the mention of the vampire, and nodded to let her know she could continue.

"Where do I start? Well, she kept asking me these things about myself, like if I remembered things really well, or if sometimes I thought about things and they ended up coming true sooner or later. Or, or if sometimes I'd wake up from some sort of blackout in my brain, and people would be around me, asking me if I'm alright, and if I didn't have any idea what they were talking about."

Stefan remembered the lunch incident, and he nodded again, slower.

"Well, I said yes, to all of her questions. Then she just stared at me, like she was reading my soul through my eyes or something. Crazy, right? I know, I was freaked out. But then all of the sudden she grabs me by my shoulder, and tells me the nuttiest thing. I laughed, but she shook me, pretty hard, I might add. Wanna know what she told me?"

Stefan gave her another nod.

"She told me that I was Beginning, and she said it like it was some sort of important religious miracle. Of course, I was just like, 'What are you talking about?' And she shook me again, and kept on repeating, 'You're Beginning! Bonnie is Beginning!'"

Stefan crinkled his eyebrows, trying to analyze what Bonnie's grandmother was trying to tell her, but came up with nothing. Not yet at least. His mind was still racing with possibilities, from normal to supernatural things.

"I kept asking her to tell me what she meant, but she just kept saying I was Beginning, until finally she snapped out of it. Then she explained everything. She started from like, way back then in history, don't even ask me what time period, I suck at history. But she said my ancestors were like, Salem witches? And then she tried telling me that I'm a witch, like her. Apparently it skips generations, which is why my mom isn't a witch, but yeah, apparently I'm a witch," Bonnie said, and Stefan could sense that she was still in disbelief. But Stefan believed it, because it made sense. Stefan had forgotten about the existence of witches, because the only witch he had ever known was Katherine's servant, Emily. Bonnie took a deep breath and exhaled, regaining oxygen after speaking for so long.

"I know it's hard to believe, Bonnie, but I think your Grams may be telling the truth. At lunch, the other day, you had some sort of episode, you were in hysterics, begging something or maybe someone? To stop. I tried to Influence you, but your eyes were closed, and in order for me to Influence you, I have to see your eyes, so I can see through them and speak to your mind. But before you opened your eyes, you regained yourself and you were just fine, but you didn't remember a thing. I couldn't understand why, because I knew I didn't compel you. I just want to know what was driving you to act that way, but you don't remember acting that way at all, so I shouldn't even have any hopes that you would remember why."

Bonnie was a little taken off guard by this news about her freak attack, and she was embarrassed by it. Stefan knew that. He could sense it. Suddenly Bonnie's mind was projecting blackness. His eyebrows crinkled again, and then Bonnie slammed onto the floor.

"Bonnie!" Stefan shouted, and in seconds he was crouched beside her, checking for vital signs. They were all there, but she was twitching, and mumbling. Stefan just watched, with wide eyes. Stefan tried to read Bonnie's mind, but the blackness remained. "Bonnie!" he yelled again, but only got a mumble in return. Seconds passed, and then Bonnie shrieked, causing Stefan to cover his ears. To his level of hearing, Bonnie's scream was very similar to the irritating noise chalk would make when you scraped it against the chalkboard. Except the volume was multiplied by hundreds. Then Bonnie froze. Stefan placed his hands on her shoulders, attempting to shake some sense into her. "Bonnie, come back!"

More seconds passed, and Bonnie was still frozen in the middle of an arm flailing movement, and her mouth was slightly parted, while her eyes were open wide. Stefan's heart that normally had a slow pulse, was pounding-if you could call it that. "Bonnie!" he tried again, and finally Bonnie's body went back to a normal position. Bonnie slowly sat up, still looking dazed. Stefan just observed, uncertain if he should disturb her or not.

"Stefan, my, you haven't aged one bit," a voice that wasn't Bonnie's said through Bonnie's mouth. Stefan knew that voice..

Bonnie's head slowly turned, and her brown eyes were staring right through Stefan, running a chill through his spine. Then finally, Stefan remembered. The voice belonged to none other than.. "Emily!" Stefan exclaimed, but not out of excitement or shock. Out of fear.

"Hello," Emily's voice said as Bonnie's lips moved. Stefan began to crawl away, until a force suddenly shoved him against the wall. The pain shot through him for a moment as he groaned.

"Get, out..of Bonnie," Stefan said through clenched teeth. Bonnie's lips curved into a smirk, as Emily controlled her to stand over Stefan. Stefan looked up at the deviant Bonnie, and he was tempted to strangle the soul that was taking over her. But he knew he couldn't do that without hurting Bonnie, so he stayed still. With a wave of Bonnie's hand, Stefan was sent flying across the room, smashing into the bookshelves, knocking all of the books onto him as he landed on the floor. Stefan gasped at the impact, and before he could even try to get up, his muscles were suddenly cramping up. Stefan yelled from the pain. It felt like a dozen stakes were being driven through every muscle of his body, or a stampede of angry bulls were trampling over him, puncturing every tissue. Stefan wailed, begging for mercy. Bonnie-Emily-was simply staring, and watching his pain. Stefan was crying now, and he was in far too much pain to feel ashamed of it. "Please! Emily! Enough!"

The pain disappeared. As did Emily. Bonnie's body fell to the floor once again, and Stefan was still recovering from Emily's torture session. Bonnie was mumbling again, but this time she sounded like Bonnie. Stefan sighed in heavenly relief, then he began to crawl clumsily towards her. "Bonnie, wake up, come back," he whispered. And her eyes opened, and she stared blankly at Stefan for a moment.

"What just ha-happened?" she asked, her voice cracking just a bit. Stefan laughed wearily.

"I have no idea," he answered.

"Rise and shine!" a seemingly distant voice rang through Elena's eyes. The blackness in her eyelids suddenly showed a reddish color, and as she opened her eyes to a squint, the sunlight just made her close them again.

"Ugh, not now, Jeremy! My alarm hasn't even gone off yet, could you give me five more God damn minutes?" Elena croaked, hiding beneath her blanket.

"Good morning," the voice sang. Rather badly. Elena groaned.

"Okay, okay, I'm up! Rising and shining!" Elena sighed, sitting up, rubbing her eyes before opening them. They adjusted to the daylight, and then widened at the sight of Damon, sitting in the rocking chair diagonal to her bed. "Damon! What the hell are you doing in here?"

Damon chuckled, tilting his head at the slightest angle. "Someone's quite cranky in the morning, good thing I made her some breakfast. It's all ready downstairs, so you do your regular morning routine, and I'll just sit here and wait." Elena glared at Damon, before throwing one of her pillows at him. He caught it with one hand, and smirked. "Don't try that again."

Elena rolled her eyes, getting out of her bed, and pointed at her door. "Out, Damon. I'm going to take a shower, and I'm not going to try and get dressed in that cramped little room, so I suggest you get out."

Damon rose from his seat, throwing Elena's pillow back on her bed, then stood centimeters away from Elena herself. "Alright, Crankypants, I'll go. But hurry, or else your breakfast will get cold!" He flashed a perfect smile, before walking out of Elena's room. Elena let out a frustrated sigh, before kicking her door shut since Damon didn't have the decency to do so himself. She locked it, and then headed into her bathroom to go on with her 'regular morning routine' as Damon had called it.

Damon paced around the kitchen, as his ears tuned into the running water of Elena's shower. He could hear her soft hums to a tune that he had heard while he fiddled with the radio stations in his car. Damon stared at the plate full of tasteless human food that he had prepared for Elena, who found this tasteless human food to be rather...tasty. Damon nearly gagged while he prepared the plate of the scrambled eggs, blueberry bagel, and link sausages. But he had to make a good impression on Elena. After all, he just had to win her respect. Damon was set on making sure Elena no longer felt disgusted by him, because he was truly not disgusting. Aside from the fact he fed on and killed innocent humans for a living. Damon smiled to himself, as he heard the water suddenly shut off. Not too long after, Elena was descending down the stairs, and walking towards the kitchen. Damon put on a comfortable smile, and stood at the kitchen table, as Elena entered. She was dressed casually, but even in the utmost simplicity, she looked stunning. Something about the way her half-dry half-wet hair hung in waves, and the way her skin was still moist from the shower, giving her a little bit of a glow in the natural sunlight. Damon gulped.

"You weren't kidding, you actually made me breakfast...thank you," Elena said, breaking Damon's thoughts. She sounded thankful but still not very trustful. Damon looked down at the plate, before holding out a chair for her. "Thanks again," she whispered, before taking a seat in the chair. She pushed it back in herself and began to eat. Damon watched her, forking and spooning..whatever humans wanted to call that process. He was, for some reason, amazed. Of course he had seen humans eat before, hell, he used to eat just the same way. He used to eat the same things, so long ago. How else would he have known how to make the meal? Damon's smile slightly faded, then widened again. He backed off and let Elena eat in peace. He could sense that she felt awkward with him standing there and just watching her chew. Damon walked into the living room, and sat on the same couch he had slept on. He stared at nothing in particular, listening to Elena's fork and/or spoon scrape against the plate. It was quite an irritating sound but Damon blocked it out. The town council meeting was in the early afternoon. Damon made time in his not so busy schedule for it. His plans for today were to find breakfast, go to the meeting, then possibly make a quick visit to The not-as-shabby-as-he-thought-it-would-be Mystic Grill, and then afterwards find lunch, and after that, find Stefan and announce his new residence at Elena's quarters. Damon could just imagine the look on Stefan's face when...

There was new weight on the other end of the couch, and Damon automatically knew that it was Elena. "Was it any good? I'm no gourmet chef, but I tried my best," he said, adding in a laugh. Elena smiled, and nodded. Elena was still scared of him, but she was slowly, very slowly, beginning to grow accustomed to him. That made Damon smile. Really smile.

Elena rose from the couch, "Well, I have to get going, oh! Crap! I forgot to wake Jeremy up!" she began to panic, and make her way back towards the stairs until Damon stopped her. He grabbed her arm, and shook his head.

"No, Jeremy's already awake, actually he's not even here, he left early. Something about meeting with his study group at the library for a test today," Damon explained. Elena's eyes were drooping with disappointment.

"There is no study group, Damon, he's probably out getting stoned right now or something. I gotta see if I can find him, he can't be too far from school, but thank you," she said quickly but Damon caught every word. Moments later, Elena left. And moments after Elena left, Damon did as well.

Damon drove around the several neighborhoods of Mystic Falls, looking for any worthy victim. After he found his target, he parked his car near the woods. Out of sight. Then Damon raced back to where he had found his victim, and she was standing right where she had been when he first laid his eyes on her. For some reason, Damon felt like he knew her, but he didn't. He flashed a devilishly handsome grin, which caused her to swoon. He chuckled, and he made small talk. She invited him into her house, and he graciously accepted. "It's about time I met someone like you," Damon cooed. She blushed, and ran her fingers through her blonde hair. "So, where are you from? I haven't seen you around recently."

The blonde girl that had mentioned her name in the beginning, but Damon hadn't been listening, replied, "I'm from here. I just came back from a vacation, though."

Damon nodded, pretending to be interested. "Ah, vacation?"

"Yes, I was in Paris," the blonde girl said, obviously proud of herself. Damon had been to Paris so many times, it wasn't a big deal to him anymore. But he faked excitement.

"Wow! Paris! That's really great, really," Damon smiled, trying to remember her name. "Car-oh, what's that?" he pointed over her shoulder, and she turned around to see the invisible thing Damon was pointing at. Damon stared at the back of her head, and searched her mind for her name. "Caroline!" he said rather loudly. She turned around again and looked at him with a confused expression.

"Um, yes?" she giggled. As Damon investigated more of Caroline's mind, he saw images of Katherine. _Wait, no, that's Elena! _Damon realized. His eyebrows lifted with enlightenment. As hungry as he was right now, he couldn't kill this one. Not yet anyway. She was full of valuable information that Damon couldn't wait to get his hands on.

Bonnie and Stefan had arrived to school together again, but Elena didn't mind it much this time. Because once Stefan saw her, he went straight to her. Elena smiled brightly when Stefan approached her. Her smile grew when he put his arm around her. Now, the four of them were on their way to lunch, and for the first time, Stefan was going to sit with them. Bonnie and Meredith walked and talked, while Stefan and Elena just stared at each other. They were truly lost in each other's eyes, just as they were last night. Elena could feel people staring at them but it didn't faze her, but it did affect Stefan who slowly turned away and exchanged hello's with Meredith. Elena found herself staring at the side of Stefan's head, and then finally she brought herself into the conversation. Stefan and Bonnie were looking at each other like they had a secret. Elena pursed her lips, and figured that she was just paranoid. Meredith was blabbing on about how Tyler Smallwood and Vickie Bennett have been hooking up. Vickie Bennet was Matt Bennet's sister. Matt Bennet was the captain of the football team, and Elena's ex-boyfriend. Matt and Elena had known each other since babyhood, and the only reason she decided to date him was because she felt that they owed it to themselves to see if they could pull it off. They couldn't. So Elena ended the relationship, which Matt probably hated her for. Where _was_ Matt, anyway?

"Stefan, are you gonna eat something?" Meredith asked, pushing a tray of some kind of chicken burger towards him.

Stefan shook his head slowly, "I uh, I'm not hungry, but thank you."

"Suit yourself," Meredith said, pulling the tray back towards herself.

Elena giggled, "That's funny, I said the same thing to him last night."

Bonnie spit out the milk that she was drinking at that moment. Luckily she didn't spit any directly at her friends at the table. Elena stared at Bonnie, eyebrows raised.

"You guys were together last night?" Bonnie asked, just a little too loudly.

"Nothing happened," Stefan said, rather lowly. Elena felt herself frown. _Nothing happened?_ Of course something happened, and Elena was sure that Stefan felt it too. Elena figured that he was just defending her honor, and making sure no one got the wrong idea.

"Well, nothing like, you know, but we just hung out," Elena added. Bonnie nodded suspiciously, then continued to drink her milk in silence. Stefan just sat there, slouching just a bit, staring at the space between Meredith and Bonnie's heads. Elena wasn't comfortable with the new awkward silence. "So, how is everyone?"

"Good," all three of them said in unison. Elena laughed softly. It was going to be a long day. For a second, Elena caught Bonnie staring at her. Bonnie had some sort of expression in her eyes, an expression that screamed, _Help!_ But Bonnie quickly looked away, leaving Elena with another problem to solve.

"So tell me, Caroline, you look young. Do you go to school here?" Damon snapped his fingers, trying to recall the name of the high school that had been established where the old schoolhouse used to be. "Robert E. Lee, is it?"

"Yes, and yes," Caroline answered. She was already comfortable with Damon's presence, and Damon could read that Caroline wanted from him. Damon thought about the couple he had fed on days ago. He shivered slightly. "Are you cold?" Caroline asked with genuine concern. Damon shook his head, and then he walked further into her house. "I know, it's a little messy, I haven't been home in a while."

"It's not a problem," he muttered as he glanced around at the furnishings of Caroline's house. "Are your parents home?" he asked casually. Caroline replied with a no, and a sultry giggle. Damon rolled his eyes before turning to face her.

"Oh my God, Damon, your face!" she squeaked, before Damon grabbed her and pulled her close. Snarling, he compelled her to stop screaming, and then his sharp fangs sank into her pale and daisy-scented skin. Her blood was streaming into his throat, and he gained complete access to her mind. Not even a minute passed by when Damon had received all of the information he wanted to know, and then he slowly pulled away from Caroline's thin neck. "Wh-what are you?" Caroline choked back on tears of pain and fear. Damon glared at her, Influencing her to forget what just happened. And she did. "So, have I showed you my room yet?" Caroline asked with a smile. Damon smiled as well.

"Not yet, darling, but I do have one question. Do you know a girl named Elena Gilbert?" Damon's smile had become a smirk. He already knew the answer to his own question, but Caroline's eyes lit up as if she was ready to tell a story. Damon had every intention to hear it.

"Yes, I do, actually. Her parents just died from some accident. Elena almost died too. It's a miracle how she lived or whatever, no one ever figured out how she got out. She probably killed her parents, I mean, what else is there?" Caroline said excitedly. Damon squinted and nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue. "We used to be like best friends, and everything, but then she just got like, so annoying! She had like, ten boyfriends in one week! She was such a little slut!"

_Elena? A slut?_ Damon shook his head, but ordered Caroline to continue.

"Yeah, so, that's when the whole accident thing happened and then she like, disappeared for a while. You know, she was at the hospital and everything, and she had to get her life fixed, you know? So when she was gone, well, basically I realized that without Elena, I could run the school, and I could be really good at it too. I mean, what's so special about Elena Gilbert? She's selfish, she's a whore, and she's not even that pretty. She thinks she's so perfect, but in reality, she's just another-" Caroline stopped talking, realizing that Damon was no longer listening. He was no longer there.

"Bonnie, you know you can tell me what's wrong, right?" Elena looked into Bonnie's big brown eyes. Bonnie sighed and shook her head ever so slightly. "What is it, Bonnie?" Elena tried again. Bonnie avoided Elena's worried eyes, which only made Elena become even more worried. "Stop pretending like you don't hear me, Bonnie, we're best friends and that means you can tell me anything." Bonnie looked around helplessly for something other than Elena to stare at. "Bonnie, come on! I didn't drag you into the bathroom to play I Spy!" Elena was becoming aggravated. Since when did Bonnie hide things from her? "Is it because I was hanging out with Stefan last night? What is even going on between you two? Do you like him?"

Bonnie finally looked at Elena, and her lips parted slightly. "Elena, Stefan and I are just friends."

"And just how far does this friendship go?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

Bonnie's face underwent some kind of shock, and then she started shaking her head vigorously. "I can't believe you would even say that!"

"I didn't say anything, Bonnie! And what's with the silent treatment! Ever since Stefan came into the picture, you haven't been talking to me!" Elena's voice was raised with anger now.

Bonnie's face was beginning to turn a reddish-pinkish color. "Damn it, Elena! This has nothing to do with Stefan! And if you're so damn concerned about our friendship, then why don't you ask him instead of yelling at me?" And with that said, Bonnie stormed out of the girl's restroom, leaving Elena flushed with rage. That was Bonnie and Elena's first fight. Ever.

As soon as Bonnie left the bathroom, Meredith walked in, obviously confused. "Whoa, is everything alright? I just saw Bonnie running down the hall, she looked like she was really, really upset. I think she was crying..Elena!" Elena snapped out of her thoughts and finally realized that Meredith was in the bathroom as well.

"Oh, hey, Meredith," Elena said softly.

"You and Bonnie are giving me a migraine, you know that?" Meredith sighed before entering a stall. Elena's knees were beginning to stiffen, but she slowly headed out of the bathroom. Elena gasped at the sight of Stefan standing there, just across the hall, leaning against the lockers. She slowly made her way towards him, and he was staring at her with a sense of both apology and concern.

"Hey..were you, um, were you waiting for me?" Elena asked, hearing the shakiness in her voice.

"Yeah, I heard the uh, the yelling, I got worried. And with Bonnie running around crying like that. Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. I'll talk to her. But first, I'll talk to you. Is there anything you'd like to ask me, Elena?" Stefan's voice was so soothing, it made her anger fade in an instant.

Elena's mind was now filing through the numerous questions she had for Stefan, and it was hard to decide which one was the right one to ask.

"Yes, it's about Bonnie."

"I figured it would be. Shoot."

"What are you two hiding?"


	9. Chapter 9: They Know

Damon had found the exact location of the city hall, and was now working his way towards the room that held the Town Council meeting. He listened closely for voices, and when he heard the voices, they led him straight into a room full of people in suits and uniforms. "Oh, Damon! I'm so glad you made it!" _Julia_, Damon thought. He put on his best smile, and spread his arm out and took Julia into a friendly hug.

"Yeah! I couldn't pass it up," Damon said with fake sincerity.

"Alright, is everyone here now?" a man in the most expensive-looking suit spoke.

"I'm guessing that's your husband?" Damon whispered to Julia who was standing beside him, her arm linked to his.

"Oh, yes, he's always in charge of these things. Him along with the sheriff." Julia motioned over to where the sheriff was standing. "Sheriff Forbes," Julia whispered quietly. Damon nodded, and listened to Julia as she announced everyone's name in the room. Damon absorbed all of the names and faces, and then the meeting began when everyone was seated.

"There have been attacks lately in our town," the mayor bellowed. Damon's eyes narrowed, and his head tilted. "We told the press that they were animal attacks but we know the truth, and the truth is better left unsaid. If it is known that vampires have returned to Mystic Falls, there will be chaos."

Damon's eyes widened. These humans were smarter than he gave them credit for. Damon raised his hand, not really knowing if that was appropriate to do or not.

"Yes, sir?" the mayor looked at Damon's raised hand. Damon lowered his arm, but rose to his feet.

"Vampires? Isn't that a little..I don't know, hard to believe?" Damon insisted.

The mayor stared at Damon for a moment, as the room was filled with hushed laughter. "No, sir. Mystic Falls has a history with vampires, but we've done a good job at keeping that side of our history a secret." Damon nodded, and sat back down. Damon didn't bother trying to compel everyone in this room to stop believing in vampires, because he knew they probably had vervain on them. Instead he sat and listened. All this information could be very useful.

"Hiding? We're not hiding anything," Stefan said. Elena would have loved to believe him, but she could see how defensive he was getting.

"Really? Because it seems like you are, I mean, there must have been something you two bonded over so quickly," Elena spoke with purpose.

"Elena, I don't think it's any of your business," Stefan mumbled, probably hoping Elena wouldn't hear it. But oh, she heard it. Elena's body began to tense up at his words.

"None of my business? Bonnie's my best friend, Stefan, and I care about her. You two are hiding something, and I swear I will find out. And I don't appreciate the fact that you keep playing this little game of yours," Elena voiced with dignity. She wasn't going to let Stefan know the amount of pain she was feeling. She wouldn't let anyone know. Stefan stared at her, like he always did. He stared at her in wonder, like he was in awe. Elena didn't want to stare back at him, at his blue-green eyes. Stefan opened his mouth to say something, but Elena was already walking away. Stefan was on his way to catch up with her, but something stopped him. Something was taking over his body, causing him to freeze up in the middle of the hallway. Stefan took a second to try and think about what was causing this.

_Stefan, brother, how are ya?_ Damon's voice was ringing through Stefan's ears, but Damon was nowhere in sight. When did Damon get so Powerful that he could project his thoughts from such a distance? Damon's voice continued. _I know you can't answer me, but we have a problem. And I don't mean just any problem, and I don't mean our little hatred towards each other. It's something bigger than that. This town, they know._

Know what? Stefan tried to project his thoughts as well, but he only felt a slight spark that faded the instant it appeared.

_ They know about us. They know about vampires. They know all about the history of Mystic Falls. Dated all the way back to..Katherine. They're onto us. Well, at least me. Since they're my meals they've been digging up. But isn't that something?_ Damon's wicked laughter filled Stefan's mind. He shook his head for a moment, and then Damon's voice was gone. Stefan finally gained control of his body again, and realized that Elena was gone from his field of sight. How much more could he take? The town was after the vampires that have returned to Mystic Falls-and he was one of them. Even though he wasn't feeding on the citizens, well, aside from Bonnie. But that was only once, and he didn't dare do it again. Damon had caused this and Stefan was going to end it, one way or another.

Damon exited the premises of town hall, and checked the invisible watch around his wrist. He adjusted the leather jacket he wore, and cracked a smile before bolting unseen through the streets of Mystic Falls until he reached Robert E. Lee. Once he reached the school grounds, he leaned against one of the brick walls of the foundation. Then he heard doors swing shut, and angry footsteps storm across the concrete, and Damon soundlessly made his way towards the source. "Ah, Elena," he smirked, speaking with a voice so cool and controlling. Elena didn't budge, instead she put a hand up. Damon was a bit puzzled by this action, but he laughed it off. "What's the matter? Did you and Stefan break up?" Damon pouted, poking Elena's side. Elena didn't hesitate to push Damon away. Damon's eyebrows crinkled, and he shook his head slowly. Damon found him staring at the back of Elena's head. He could hear the familiar sound of..crying. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, and lifted his hand, resting it on Elena's shoulder. "Elena, really, tell me what's wrong. I care." Damon tried to sound as sympathetic as possible. Elena just brushed Damon's hand away from her shoulder. Damon was starting to get angry. There he was, trying to help her, but she was just pushing him away. _What the hell is wrong with this girl? _Damon asked angrily in his thoughts, preparing himself to just take Elena, and _make_ her tell him what's wrong.

"Nothing is wrong with her, Damon. Nothing." Damon heard a voice say from behind him. He slowly turned around, identifying that it was Stefan.

"Oh, how nice of you to join us, Stefan! Elena and I were just talking about, oh, this and that. All these problems. You need to treat your girl well, Stefan, or well, someone else will," Damon winked, and quickly darted away, out of sight. Elena was already turned around, and Stefan and Elena were left facing each other.

"Elena," Stefan sighed. "You didn't give me a chance to explain."

"Explain what?" Elena croaked out. "I'm not sure I even want to hear it anymore. Maybe it's just bet that you and Bonnie keep your secrets."

Stefan, with a large amount of uncertainty, slowly began to slide his arms around Elena's petite body. "You have no idea how much better it would be if Bonnie and I kept our secrets. It would be better for the both of us. For you and me. For everyone."

"So there _are_ secrets," Elena stared up at Stefan, refusing to react to the new warmth around her body, along with some kind of spark that was shooting up her spine.

Stefan stared right back at Elena, and nodded. "Yes, there are secrets. Nothing of the typical high school type of secret, but please, Elena, you have to understand that I would never do anything to hurt you."

Elena finally felt some kind of confirmation now, with his words. Because his eyes told her that he meant them. Elena hesitated before nodding. "Alright, Stefan. I trust you. Please don't take advantage of that."

Stefan's lips quivered before they displayed his beautiful smile, which Elena couldn't help but place a kiss upon.


End file.
